Teacher  Training 

I  WITH  THE 

MASTER  Teacher 


Beardslee 


tihvary  of  t:he  l:heolo0ical  Seminary 

PRINCETON  .  NEW  JERSEY 

FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 
ROBERT  ELLIOTT  SPEER 


BV  1533  rB4  "^ 
Beardslee,  C.  S.  1850-1914 
Teacher-training  with  the 
Master  Teacher 


2,^^ 

^AKK  13  19J9 
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1  eacher-  1  rain^-" 
with  the  Master  Teacher 


STUDIES  OF  CHRIST  IN  THE 
ACT  OF  TEACHING  AS  A  MEANS 
OF  LEARNING   HOW  TO  TEACH 


By 


REV.   C.   S.   BEARDSLEE,   D.D. 

Professor    in    Hartford  Theological  Seminary 


PHILADELPHIA 

THE   SUNDAY   SCHOOL  TIMES   COMPANY 

1903 


\. 


Copyright,  J903 
C.  S.  BEARDSLEE 


TO  THE   GOODLY  FELLOWSHIP   OF   TEACHERS 

A    REVERENT    TRIBUTE: 
AND  AN  EARNEST  APPEAL. 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Preface      .........  9 

I.   To  Refine  a  Crude  Nature          .         .  13 

II.  Winning  an  Alien  Life    ....  17 

,  III.   Defining  and  Defending  His  Mission  .  21 

IV.  The  Winning  of  Peter    ....  25 

V.  Answering  Deadly  Critics            .          .  29 

VI.   Dealing  with  Doubt        ....  33 

VII.   Rest  Under  Burdens  ....  37 

VIII.   Teaching  Mercy  to  a  Pharisee         .         .  41 

IX.   How  Greed  for  Goods  Stifles  Souls    .  45 

X.   The  Logic  of  Trust           ....  49 

XL  Meaning  of  a  Meal  with  a  Publican    .  53 

XII.  True  Food  for  Immortals         ...  57 

XIII.  Ethics  and  Etiquette  :  Which  Holds  Primacy?  61 

XIV.  True  Candidates  for  Majesty           .         .  65 
XV.   The  Deeps  of  Forgiveness           .         .  69 

XVI.   Handling  a  Shifty  Lawyer      ...  73 

XVII.  The  Full  Truth  Concerning  Prayer   .  77 

XVIII.  When  Pupils  Lie  in  Ambush  ...  81 

XIX.  When  Pupils  Push  for  Primacy.         .  85 

XX.  The  Distasteful  Bliss       ....  89 

XXI.  Eating  with  Outcasts          ...  93 

XXII.   Luxury  vs.  Charity :    A  Life  Choice       .  97 

XXIII.  The  Lure  of  Wealth  .         ,         ,         •  loi 

7 


S  Contents 

Pace 

XXIV.  The  Last  First 105 

XXV.  Riches  and  the  Kingdom  :  Special  Studies  109 

XXVI.  Zaccheus 113 

XXVII.  The  Stewardship  Idea    ....  117 

XXVIII.  Is  Man  Immortal?      ....  121 

XXIX.  The  Cost  of  Glory 125 

XXX.  Vine  Culture  and  Soul  Culture           .  129 

XXXI.   Facing  Roman  Eagles    .         .         .         .  133 

XXXII.   Risen,  but  Teaching  Still  ...  137 

XXXIII.  He  Was  Full  of  Truth   ....  143 

XXXIV.  He  Was  Full  of  Grace        ...  147 
XXXV.  He  Was  Wholly  Pure     ....  151 

XXXVI.   He  Had  Authority     ....  155 

XXXVII.   He  Was  Thoughtful,  Balanced,  Simple, 

Replete       ......  159 

XXXVIII.   He  V/as  Intense,  Ready,  Brief,  Intrepid  163 
XXXIX.   He    Was    Concrete,    Manifold,    Poetic, 

Beautiful 167 

XL.  The  Whole  in  Brief :   His  Vigor,  Grand- 
eur, Symmetry,  Kinship         .         .  171 
Sample  Questions  for  Examination          .         ,         ,  175 


PREFACE. 

This  little  book  aspires  to  seal  a  close  affiance 
between  would-be  teachers  and  the  holy  Christ.  It  is 
born  of  boundless  admiration  for  the  Lord,  and  of  deep 
solicitude  that  all  who  labor  in  his  name  may  worthily 
respect  their  sacred  dignity.  It  holds  the  teacher's 
work  in  reverent  esteem,  and  conceives  the  Master's 
excellence  herein  to  stand  easily  supreme.  It  has  high 
confidence  in  the  transforming  power  of  any  open  vision 
of  the  Saviour's  face.  Hence  it  simply  seeks  to  designate 
the  various  beauties  of  the  Master  as  they  appear  among 
his  wise  and  kindly  ways.  Its  every  phrase  aspires  to  be 
an  index  finger,  pointing  with  open  pride  towards  the 
teaching  Christ.  At  every  turn  it  begs  to  say  with  joy- 
ful eagerness,  "See  here!"  "See  there!"  "Behold  your 
Lord !" 

To  the  Student. 

Keep  free.  Heed  this  truly.  Above  all  things  be 
yourself.  See  with  your  own  eyes.  Let  your  thinking 
be  your  own.  Preserve  your  independence.  Gain  some 
findings  that  shall  be  fully,  truly  yours. 

Learn  to  look.  Use  your  eyes.  That  is.  read.  Read 
through  and  through  the  Gospel  scene.  Read  to  see. 
See  what  you  read.  Put  all  your  intellect  into  your 
eyes.    Then  read  with  all  your  eyes.     Look. 

Then  think.  Think,  first,  to  make  things  stand  apart. 
Distinguish.  Make  your  seeing  definite.  Make  the 
different  features  of  the  Gospel  scene  begin  to  individ- 
ualize. Get  every  factor  by  itself.  Look  and  think  until 
you  know,  in  close  detail,  just  what  you  see.  Persist  in 
this. 

9 


to  Preface 


Then  think  again.  Compare.  Combine.  Set  the 
separate  things  together.  Find  out  affinities.  Learn 
how  Christ  unites.  Trace  out  his  reasonings.  Push  for 
unity. 

Thus  bring  out  to  light  Christ's  teaching  art.  De- 
tect the  secret  of  his  leadership  in  conference.  Track 
out  the  genesis  of  his  opinions.  Dig  up  his  motives. 
Locate  his  aims.  Find  out  his  ways  and  means.  Grow 
familiar  with  the  workings  of  his  mind.  Extract  the 
very  genius  and  spirit  of  his  teaching  work. 

Pursue  the  work  in  order.  Do  the  first  thing  first. 
Leave  the  last  thing  till  the  last.  Do  not  begin  to  prate 
about  Christ's  skill  and  art,  while  still  the  very  stufi 
that  gives  the  scene  its  shape  is  strange. 

In  all,  be  honest  to  the  very  core.  Never  trifle 
Never  dawdle.     Never  sham.     You  study  Christ. 


To  the  Teacher. 

Be  a  model  student,  first.  Be  a  faithful  fellow 
student  to  the  last. 

Grasp  each  lesson  as  a  whole.  Its  basis  is  a  single 
Gospel  scene.  However  full  or  manifold,  it  has  a 
natural  unity.  Find  its  core.  Then  keep  that  central 
feature  all  the  while  in  view. 

See  how  the  lessons  subdivide.  Trace  those  lines  of 
natural  cleavage.  In  following  these  inner  boundaries 
get  to  be  expert.  Learn  to  handle  the  major  portions 
separately.  It  is  curious  to  see  how  many  times  a 
major  fraction  will  contain  the  whole. 

Learn  to  allot  these  major  sections  separately  to  dif- 
ferent members  of  your  class.  This  will  lessen  the 
student's  task,  while  leading  him  still  into  the  lesson's 
heart. 

In  handling  any  single  lesson,  plot  out  some  plan. 
Then  hold  it  fast.  Do  not  suffer  vagrancy.  Only  so 
will  you  ever  reach  the  end. 

In  arranging  the  entire  course,  keep  elastic.  Adjust 
your  programme  to  your  class.  Shape  your  schedule 
as  you  wish.    Linger  in  one  lesson  longer,  if  you  desire. 


Preface  ii 

Omit  whole  lessons,  if  you  like.  Attempt  original  tasks, 
if  you  have  a  competent  class. 

Discourage  haste.  Do  not  rush  to  reach  the  fortieth 
lesson  in  the  fortieth  week.  Cherish  thoroughness. 
In  every  scene  the  Saviour  stands  entire.  Do  fine  work. 
Take  time. 

Insist  on  thought.  Note  how  simple  all  the  ques- 
tions are.  They  lie  within  the  range  of  common,  daily 
life.  Not  ten  inquiries  in  all  the  book  are  beyond  the 
range  of  the  average  person  above  eighteen,  if  he  will 
look  and  think.  But  no  man  can  answer  them  off-hand. 
And  they  refuse  to  be  disdained. 

Appreciate  the  difference  in  those  lessons  at  the  end 
— the  closing  eight.  They  demand  peculiar  breadth  and 
steadiness  of  view.  They  aim  at  final  synthesis — a 
short  inclusive  statement  of  the  whole.  In  them  the 
strength  and  earnestness  of  your  mind  must  do  their 
best.  And  it  will  take  your  time.  But  get  your  powers 
all  together  and  settle  down.  Begin.  Persist.  And  do 
not  end  until  you  see  how  all  your  visions  of  your  Lord 
can  blend  and  unify. 


LESSON  I. 

To  Refine  a  Crude  Nature. 

John  3  :  1-21. 

I.  Get  to  understand  Nicodemus.  How  does  he 
come?  What  does  he  seek?  What  does  he  need?  For 
any  teacher,  such  questions  as  these  are  primary  mat- 
ters. We  may  be  sure  Christ,  in  teaching,  took  no  step 
in  the  dark.  He  knew  his  man.  Now  what  stands  clear 
upon  the  face  of  Nicodemus,  at  the  very  start  ?  Can  you 
say? 

(a)  He  was  a  dignitary;  think  of  this.  And  he 
carried  into  the  conference  his  class  consciousness;  note 
his  plurals.  And  he  chose  the  night;  this  seems  notable. 
Do  you  feel  sure  what  it  means?  And  he  must  have  felt 
some  motive;  but  see  if  you  can  state  it.  You  will  find  it 
impossible.  He  was  non-committal.  He  named  no 
errand.  He  gave  the  conversation  no  aim.  He  merely 
opened  it.  This  is  a  vital  point.  Think  what  it  suggests 
about  Nicodemus;  what  it  must  signify  for  Christ. 
Think  of  the  scholar  who  is  neutral.  But  he  does  show 
deference.     See  if  you  can  define  this. 

Now  Jesus  sets  in.  Watch  what  he  does.  He  accosts 
him  in  the  singular;  he  parts  him  from  his  class;  he 
looks  him  in  the -eye.  He  makes  his  assertion  gravely 
strong.  He  selects  for  his  theme  the  kingdom.  He 
avers  that  its  vision  requires  for  any  one  a  birth  from 
above. 

(b)  Now  study  Nicodemus  again.  Jesus  has  set  be- 
fore him  a  definite  theme,  one  that  goes  to  the  top  of  his 
hope,  to  the  core  of  his  life.  Mark  how  the  man  replies. 
It  will  go  far  to  show  what  kind  of  a  man  he  is.  Note 
first  his  omission.  In  quoting  Jesus'  theme  he  drops 
out  a  vital  phrase,  "from  above."  Stop  right  here.  That 
oversight  has  grave  significance.     It  is  an  unconscious 

13 


/^  Teacher-Training  with 

discovery  of  Nicodemus'  nature.  It  shows  his  grain. 
Can  you  define  this?  Try.  Then  observe  from  this 
how  far  apart,  how  widely  unlike,  these  two  persons  are. 
Do  not  be  limp  here.  You  face  essentials.  Make  some 
answer,  and  frame  your  answer  as  a  teacher.  Jesus 
must  take  some  next  step.  What  should  it  be?  Was 
his  actual  move  a  wise  one?  If  you  say  yes,  say  just 
why.  No  earnest  teacher  will  drift  lazily  past  this  point. 
Keep  thinking.  Where  did  Nicodemus  trip?  It 
was  over  that  solemn  hint  of  his  need  of  re-birth. 
Think  how  Jesus  meant  these  words.  But  such  a  mean- 
irlg  Nicodemus  has  no  eye  to  see.  Study  his  mind.  It 
is  negligent.  It  is  in  perplexity.  Its  answer  more  than 
hipts  a  doubt.  It  comes  close  to  bald  denial.  And  all 
because  he  is  not  spiritually  alert.  He  is  encased  in 
flesh.  He  really  needs  to  be  born  from  above.  See  this. 
How  unwittingly  he  betrays  the  very  truth  he  is  so 
inclined  to  deny.  So  deep  is  his  need.  But  so  dull  is  his 
eye.    What  shall  the  Master  do?    What  would  you  do? 

(c)  Now  study  Christ's  procedure.  Can  you  analyze 
vv.  5-8,  having  Nicodemus'  actual  state  and  attitude  in 
mind?  In  the  first  place,  in  the  heart  of  Jesus'  words, 
he  roundly  reaffirms  just  what  he  said  before.  Mark 
that.  Then  he  distinguishes  two  births,  bringing  the 
spiritual  sharply  to  the  front,  and  alluding  to  water  as 
its  symbol.  Then  he  calls  this  spiritual  energy  a  hidden 
and  unsearchable  mystery.  Now  unify  this,  and  give  it 
point,  and  fix  its  point  on  Nicodemus.  Is  it  this? 
Nicodemus  is  to  have  done  with  grovelling,  forego  all 
doubting,  and  stop  his  marvelling.  He  is  to  face 
towards  heaven,  and  give  Christ's  spirit  life  straight 
entrance  to  his  very  soul. 

(d)  Now  weigh  Nicodemus'  second  retort.  He  is 
stuck  just  where  he  was.  But  the  case  .is  not  the  same. 
He  stands  in  fuller  light.  State  the  case.  Jesus  has 
pointed  most  impressi%^ely  towards  the  bright,  pure, 
hidden  spirit  realm.  But  Nicodemus  seems  to  have  no 
eye  to  look  that  way.  Will  you  trace  out  his  profile? 
He  is  a  dull,  uncultured  soul,  having  no  inner  sense  of 
inner  need,  no  craving  towards  God's  pure  excellence, 
no  deep  humility,  no  glint  of  penitence,  no  relish  for  the 


The  Master  Teacher  i^ 

Messiah's  saving  mercy,  no  real  solicitude,  no  true 
docility.  He  is  spiritually  inert.  Is  this  top  harsh? 
Then  moderate  it,  only  striving  honestly  to  gain  precise 
agreement  with  what  Jesus  must  have  thought. 

Now  what  would  you  do  next?  Are  you  in  a  state 
accurately  to  forecast  his  policy?  If  you  are,  you  are  a 
rarity.  You  are  well  entitled  to  counsel  others  how  to 
teach.  The  Master  first  pricks  the  empty  bubble  of  his 
sordid  pupil's  dignity  (v.  lo).  Then  he  jealously  corrob- 
orates his  own  veracity.  See  how  he  does  it.  Then  he 
opens  into  tzco  stupendous  themes :  the  world's  dense 
shroud  of  darkness  and  guilt;  and  his  heavenly  com- 
mission to  save  by  sacrifice  all  sinners  who  believe, 
taxing  most  pointedly  the  stolid  unbelief  of  the  class 
whom  Nicodemus  represents.  And  so  Nicodemus  van- 
ishes. 

2.  Now  observe  the  Teacher.  Follow  him  from  the 
start. 

(a)  Watch  him  pick  and  hold  his  theme.  Would 
you  ever  have  done  like  that?  Follow  him  throughout. 
Nicodemus  was  pitifully  unreceptive,  unresponsive,  to 
say  the  very  least.  But  Jesus  held  fast  to  his  chosen 
theme.  Suppose  you  try  to  get  the  meaning  of  this  in 
teaching.  And  observe  the  sum  and  range  of  his 
thought — the  kingdom,  the  new  birth,  the  need,  the 
Spirit,  the  mystery,  the  heavenly  vision,  the  witness,  the 
world  ruin,  the  world  rescue,  the  faith,  the  eternal  life. 
What  is  your  opinion  of  the  value  to  a  teacher  of  such  a 
fertile  fullness  of  thought? 

(b)  Feel  his  moral  earnestness.  Study  the  Master's 
main  purpose,  first  with  Nicodemus,  then  with  all  the 
world.  Mark  his  tenacity,  as  Nicodemus  confronts  his 
words  with  doubt.  See  his  jealousy  to  be  believed. 
Notice  how  tense  his  avowals  all  are,  how  piercing  his 
insight,  how  strenuous  his  idea  about  the  need  of  a 
spiritual  birth.  Tarry  here.  To  all  appearances  this 
conference  made  no  headway.  But  so  it  only  illustrates 
his  whole  experience.  All  evil  doers  hate  the  light.  His 
career  is  to  culminate  upon  the  cross.  But  he  holds 
straight  on  everywhere,  as  here.  Another  man  may  be  a 
moral  nobody.     Jesus,  never.     Think  of  this.     Imagine 


l6  Teacher'Trainmg  with 

his  moral  resolution  easing  up  and  giving  way.    But  how 
about  any  other  teacher? 

(c)  See  how  he  levels  human  pride.  The  "need" 
of  the  "birth"  from  "above" — could  any  word  cut  deeper 
into  human  vanity,  or  make  fuller  havoc  of  all  self-right- 
eousness ? 

(d)  See  how  this  conference  embodies  an  infinite 
love.  He  came  to  save.  He  teaches  to  save.  He  dies 
to  save.    And  all  the  world  is  herein  had  in  view. 

(e)  See  his  finished  art.  When  Nicodemus  began,  his 
words  made  Christ  the  theme.  When  Jesus  replied,  he 
made  Nicodemus  the  theme.  Can  you  see  how  he 
accomplished  this?  Then,  though  dealing  with  a  neutral 
sort  of  mind,  he  has  made  this  talk  a  conference ;  and  he 
has  made  the  conference  yield  up  naturally  the  mightiest 
positive  themes.  Do  you  see  how  this  was  done?  This 
is  a  point  you  do  well  to  study  out.  Then  that  analogy 
of  the  wind — can  you  trace  its  meaning  to  its  very 
point;  and  tell  exactly  what  that  point  pins  fast,  and 
show  its  fine  simplicity?  And  then  that  introduction  of 
his  own  sacrificial  love ;  can  you  say  it  is  out  of  place  ? 
But  can  you  show  just  how  it  gained  a  place  in  these 
remarks  ? 

(f)  Now  unify  the  whole  in  a  profile  of  the  model 
Teacher  as  he  sits  at  work.  Are  these  the  outstanding 
features?  He  is  spiritual.  He  deals  with  character. 
He  feels  an  infinite  repugnance  for  sin.  He  works 
towards  life.  He  is  merciful.  His  primal  instinct  is  to 
point  to  the  open  door  of  the  kingdom ;  to  proffer  the 
infinite  aid  of  the  Spirit,  to  offer  himself  in  sacrifice.  He 
is  the  soul  of  honor.  His  every  word  is  verity.  To  hint 
at  discrediting  aught  he  says  lifts  his  resentment  to  the 
very  skies.  He  is  imperial.  In  all  this  scene,  whatever 
aspect  opens,  he  stands  supreme.  These  are  the  great 
outline  strokes.  Fill  them  up.  Come  to  know  the 
Master  Workman  in  his  work.  He  is  the  very  light  of 
every  teacher's  eye. 


The  Master  Teacher 


LESSON  II. 

Winning  an  Alien  Life. 

John  4  :  5-26. 

1.  Imagine  the  scene — an  arid  land,  a  hot  and  dusty 
footman,  the  blaze  of  a  Syrian  sun,  the  rarity  of  wells, 
the  disciples  away  seeking  food,  the  Master's  physical 
need.  Realize  the  Samaritan-Jewish  race  feud.  Gather 
allusions  to  it  from  the  Gospels.  Define  Christ's  task 
here :  to  overcome  unfriendliness  towards  the  Jews, 
towards  himself,  towards  God,  towards  righteousness. 

2.  The  process.  How  the  pure,  holy,  spiritual,  uni- 
versal Christ  won  his  way  into  a  sordid,  narrow  life. 

(a)  He  calls  for  a  drink.  Think  of  the  nature  of  this 
appeal.  It  sprang  from  bodily  thirst.  This  is  an 
exigent  necessity.  It  touches  something  common  to 
all  men.  To  refuse  is  to  be  inhuman.  It  means  carry- 
ing a  race  feud  to  an  absurdity.  Think  into  this.  Here 
is  a  very  simple,  homely  request.  But  there  is  tucked 
up  within  it  a  perfect  art.  Feel  the  force,  the  stress  of 
the  Master's  petition — a  call  out  of  bodily  suffering,  for 
God's  gift,  from  a  fellow  man.  For  breaking  down  race 
prejudice,  or  showing  the  ugliness  of  race  hate,  or  find- 
ing a  vantage  ground  for  friendliness,  no  point  of  attack 
could  be  better  chosen.  Think  of  this.  You  term  it 
commonplace.  But  see  if  you  can.  by  any  device  of 
your  own,  surpass  its  skill. 

But  scan  her  answer.  Weigh  it.  Describe  it  closely. 
It  was  sportive,  scornful,  hard,  ungodlike ;  bitterly,  in- 
humanly unfeeling  and  cold.  But  she  saved  her  race 
honor !  Here  is  a  place  for  thought.  Do  not  idle.  And 
do  not  rush  on.  Stop  right  here,  and  get  to  work.  De- 
fine things.  What  sort  of  a  case  does  Christ  confront? 
He  must  take  some  next  step.  Join  in  with  him  in  trying 
to  think  what  that  next  step  should  be.  Exactly  here 
is  a  chance  for  finest  teaching  art. 


i8  Teacher-Training  with 

(b)  Jesus'  resort  is  to  a  suggestion  of  God's  good 
will  towards  her,  of  his  own  worth,  and  of  Hving  water. 
Here  are  three  high  themes.  Study  into  their  nature. 
Were  they  wisely  introduced  to  such  a  woman  in  such 
a  mood  ?  These  are  not  queries  to  be  answered  off-hand. 
But  they  need  answering.  Can  you  trace  out  the  order 
of  Christ's  inner  thought?  What  was  his  idea  in  men- 
tioning "living  water"?  It  links  in  just  where?  It 
leads  forth  just  whither?  Its  power  lies  in  just  what? 
So  handle  each  one  of  his  three  themes.  See  and  think. 
How  many  themes  are  there  here  (v.  lo)  ?  Are  there 
really  three,  or  only  two,  or  after  all,  but  one?  Do  you 
think  this  woman  understood  this?     Do  you? 

Now  dig  into  her  reply  (vv.  11-12).  Note  her  cold 
and  dull  insensibility.  She  seems  to  have  no  sense  for 
God,  or  Christ,  or  her  own  inner  thirst.  She  stands 
untouched,  untaught.  Here,  again,  get  by  yourself  and 
think.  Make  sure  you  understand  her  case.  Ponder 
upon  her  deep  unconsciousness  of  her  own  deep  life 
realities.     But  note  her  knowledge  of  Scripture. 

(c)  Now  see  the  Master's  device  (vv.  13-14).  Here 
is  a  mighty  transit.  He  sharpens  his  allusion  to  "living 
water."  He  shows  that  waters  are  of  two  kinds,  of 
two  values :  the  worth  and  help  of  the  one  perishing, 
men  forever  thirsting  again  ;  the  worth  and  help  of  the 
other  permanent,  men  never  thirsting  any  more,  but 
finding  in  their  inner  personal  being  an  unfailing  spring, 
a  well-head  of  eternal  life.  Now  study.  See  how  deft 
the  Master  is ;  and  how  profound ;  and  how  insistent. 
And  do  not  fail,  as  you  prize  your  soul,  and  long  to  be 
adept  like  Christ,  to  clear  your  mind  about  "eternal 
life" — just  what  it  is,  just  how  it  springs  within.  Scan 
the  woman's  reply  (v.  15).  Just  where  does  she  stand? 
Has  Jesus  made  any  headway?  Note  each  element:  her 
deference,  her  plea,  her  weariness,  that  word  "hither." 
She  is  open.  But  she  is  still  earth-bound.  Estimate 
each.     What  would  you  have  said  to  her  next? 

(d)  Now  fathom  v.  16.  What  is  its  inmost  signifi- 
cance? It  is  a  closely  personal  touch.  What  more?  It 
points  straight  to  her  hidden  sin.  But  how?  With 
choice  and   fine  propriety.     Is  this   so?     Get   your  eye 


The  Master  Teacher  /p 

exactly  on  Jesus'  aim.  Then  weigh  his  words.  They 
were  polished  shafts.  He  spoke  of  her  "husband."  How 
fit!  But  how  keen!  Watch  the  woman.  Just  what  is  at 
work  within  her  mind?  She  tells  the  truth.  But  she 
hides  the  truth  (v.  17).  What  is  needed  now?  No 
mind  but  the  most  refined  and  keen  can  ever  say.  But 
every  teacher  ought  to  know. 

(c)  Now  comes  another  arrow  (vv.  17-18).  It  seems 
all  point.  Watch  the  Master,  as  he  lays  it  to  the  bow 
and  sends  it  home.  Take  that  weapon  in  your  hand. 
Weigh  it,  feel  its  edge.  "Whom  thou  now  hast  is  not  thy 
husband."  Get  the  value  of  that  word  "husband,"  Was 
it  too  direct,  too  severe?  Could  it  be  more  severe? 
Was  it  winged  with  scorn,  or  love  ?  And  now  look  at  the 
woman.  She  must  have  felt  two  sentiments :  a  deep 
amazement,  and  a  mantling  shame.  Now  think  and 
state.     At  just  this  point  what  had  Jesus  gained? 

(f)  Now  study  the  turn  the  woman  takes  (vv.  19- 
20),  She  seems  to  wish  to  divert  the  Lord.  What  does 
this  mean?  Would  you  have  suffered  it?  Jesus  did.  He 
followed  her  proffered  lead.  Look  at  the  woman.  The 
Master's  dart  has  stuck.  Her  words  in  the  village  betray 
this.  And  she  shows  high  respect.  And  she  leads  to  a 
high  theme.  But  it  involves  the  old  feud.  Think  all  this 
over.     What  is  going  on? 

(g)  Here  comes  something  worth  your  while  (vv, 
21-24),  No  broader,  finer,  profounder  words  were  ever 
voiced.  And  yet  they  come  within  the  compass  of  a 
child.  Study  them.  Study  them  as  a  reply.  They  are 
absolutely  complete.  Study  their  bearing  on  the  feud. 
That  unity  of  God,  What  terms  could  ever  be  devised 
more  adequate  and  apt !  Mark  their  bearing  on  the 
woman's  life  and  character.  See  the  play  of  "spirit"  on 
her  carnal  life  and  thought.  See  the  play  of  "truth" 
upon  her  inclination  towards  concealment  and  deceit. 
Then  study  "worship,"  such  as  Jesus  designs.  Can  you 
define  its  value  and  power  to  clarify  thought,  purify  life, 
unify  men,  magnify  God,  set  all  things  right?  Survey  the 
whole.    Was  it  quite  wisely  said? 

(h)  But  now  the  woman  makes  another  turn.  With 
her,  diversion  seems  to  be  an  art.     See  whither  she  goes. 


JO  Teacher-Training  icith 

She  awaits  the  Christ.  He  will  clear  up  all.  This  seems 
disappointing,  she  seems  to  close  the  conference.  But 
note  her  outlook.  It  is  towards  the  Christ.  And  the 
Master  is  alert.  "I  am  he."  And  this  is  all.  Now 
make  true  survey  of  this  closing  scene.  Where  do  they 
stand?  Has  Jesus  wrought  his  wish?  Just  how,  step 
by  step,  has  it  been  done? 

3.  Teaching  hints,  (a)  There  is  in  every  life  an 
inner  thirst,  an  inner  weariness,  an  inner  need,  an  inner 
hope,  an  inner  sin. 

(b)  There  is  a  mighty  power  in  friendliness.  Deep, 
warm,  strong,  wise,  patient  friendliness  is  a  moral 
teacher's  choicest  quality. 

(g)  The  process  was  incomplete  and  still  at  sea,  until 
it  opened  into  the  inner  sin'.  Compute  the  meaning  of 
this  woman's  sin.  How  common  is  it?  How  corrupt- 
ing? 

(d)  The  most  transcendent  theme  can  touch  the 
most  earth-bound  life. 

(e)  Real  teaching  is  absorbing.  See  if  you  can  find 
where  Jesus  ate  or  drank  that  noon. 


The  Master  Teacher  2t 


LESSON  III. 

Defining  and  Defending  His  Mission. 

Luke  4  :  16-30. 

I.  Preliminary,  (a)  The  place.  Jesus  is  in  his  child- 
hood home,  where  he  is  well  and  widely  known.  He  is 
in  the  familiar  synagogue,  where  he  was  always  wont 
to  be,  where  all  his  townsmen  would  be  found. 

(b)  Christ's  state  of  mind.  Imagine  this.  Read 
over  what  he  said,  and  think.  Before  he  began,  he 
could  not  have  been  inert  or  apathetic.  He  spoke  out 
of  the  fullness  of  his  heart.  Before  he  spoke,  his  heart 
was  full.  Think.  As  Jesus  entered,  his  mind  must  have 
been  eager  and  wide-awake,  his  heart  ardent,  his  pur- 
pose girt.  Study  your  Master,  as  he  steps  inside  and 
takes  his  seat.  Now  open  your  eye  to  his  inner  posture, 
as  he  stands  up  to  read.  Get  attentive  just  here.  He 
simply  stands  up  in  his  place.  He  has  said  no  word. 
He  has  not  received  the  book.  The  Scripture  has  not 
been  found.  Now  fancy.  Was  his  mind  at  sea?  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  within  three  fleeting  minutes  he  is  to  face 
his  neighbors  with  a  public  annunciation  of  his  life 
career.  Then  see  him  take  the  prophecy  in  his  hand. 
Does  he  open  the  roll  as  a  novice?  In  an  instant  he  is 
to  utter  ponderous  words.  But  as  yet  his  lips  are  mute. 
He  stands  there  silent,  decisive,  self-poised.  Here  is 
the  Master  Teacher,  just  about  to  teach.     Study  him. 

(c)  His  readiness.  He  is  to  explain  Isaiah,  and  talk 
about  God,  and  the  Spirit,  and  men's  need,  and  the 
strong  good  news.  Do  you  suppose  he  ever  studied 
Isaiah  before,  or  brooded  into  the  meaning  of  the  Spirit's 
anointing,  or  walked  in  close  conference  with  God,  or 
felt  for  broken  lives,  or  ever  thoughtfully  conned  that 
message  of  good  news?  Was  he  anything  less  than 
fully  ready  before  he  commenced?     Think.     Could  he 


22  Teacher-Training  with 

have  had  his  theme  in  mind  before  he  found  his  place? 
Having  his  theme,  would  it  be  hard  to  find  the  fitting 
Scripture?  Suppose  they  had  given  him  some  other 
Prophet,  or  the  Psalms,  or  the  book  of  the  Law?  Note 
how  he  reinforced  his  theme  by  a  citation  from  the 
book  of  Kings.  Answer  this.  How  prevalent  was  this 
theme  in  the  Hebrew  writ  ?  How  deeply  centered  was 
it  in  Jesus'  life?  Do  you  see  the  bearing  of  these  simple 
inquiries?  Do  you  deem  it  quite  worthy  in  a  Christian 
teacher  to  let  them  pass  unanswered? 

(d)  His  equipment.  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon 
me."  "He  hath  sent  me."  Here  are  impulse,  and  out- 
fit, and  authority,  and  all  of  infinite  scope.  Peer  into 
this.  It  was  true,  as  he  entered  the  sjmagogue.  He  was 
fully  furnished  before  he  began.  He  was  prepared  to 
speak  before  he  spoke.  He  stands  fit  for  the  waiting 
work.  He  hears  the  plaint  of  men.  He  feels  the  stir- 
rings of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  sees  the  designation  of 
God.  As  he  rises  up  and  holds  the  roll,  he  stands  there 
obedient,  compassionate,  inspired,  fully  familiar  with  the 
prophetic  word.  Now  weigh  all  this.  Thus  the  Master 
stood  up  to  teach.  And  pause,  and  be  honest,  and  be 
intent.  What  quality  or  furnishing  does  Jesus  illustrate, 
that  may  not  be  freely  shared  by  you  ? 

2.  The  Teaching,  (a)  Christ  defines  his  work.  This 
is  a  momentous  act.  See  if  it  is  all  in  this  one  phrase : 
Ready  help  for  human  need.  It  is  all  a  word  for  stricken 
ones.  Study  into  this.  See  if  there  is  any  word  for 
people  who  are  pain-free,  and  glad,  and  whole.  What 
do  you  say  of  this?  Did  the  Master  wittingly  omit,  or 
unwittingly  overlook  some  section  of  his  work?  But  he 
focuses  all  eyes.  And  all  admire.  As  he  speaks  of 
human  bonds  and  hurt  and  need,  all  stand  marvelling 
at  the  unwonted  grace  and  eloquence  of  his  lips.  Think. 
With  such  a  theme,  could  you  command  such  praise? 

(b)  But  now  his  message  takes  a  momentous  turn. 
As  he  went  on,  wonder  awoke.  They  couldn't  see  how 
speech  so  fair  could  come  from  one  so  plain.  And  they 
were  saying:  "After  all  this  is  only  our  neighbor's  son." 
Ponder  this.  The  stream  that  seemed  so  free  is  checked. 
But  how?     Misgivings  intrude.     They  begin  to  depre- 


The   Master  Teacher  2j 

ciate  his  words.  And  the  obstruction  spreads  right 
athwart  the  Master's  course.  What  shall  he  do?  Did 
you  ever  know  such  a  case?  What  method  do  you 
advise?  See  what  Jesus  did.  To  begin  with,  he  was 
absolutely  plain  and  frank.  He  brings  their  burrowing 
thoughts  up  into  light.  He  makes  their  whisperings 
audible.  In  thought  they  challenge  his  pretensions  and 
demand  some  warrant.  "Physician  heal  thyself."  To 
this  latent  sentiment  in  them  Jesus  gives  living  voice. 
Now.  was  this  act  wise?  In  reality  it  helped  to  rouse 
and  fire  their  hate  and  give  it  open  form.  But  see  what 
follows. 

(c)  Jesus  cites  the  Phoenician  widow  and  the  Syrian 
leper,  mentioned  in  the  books  of  Kings.  In  this  make 
special  note  of  two  things :  both  cases  were  burdened 
with  dire  trouble;  and  both  were  aliens.  Now,  why  did 
Jesus  take  this  turn  ?  Something  is  awry  in  his  listeners' 
minds.  This  twist  Jesus  is  trying  to  get  straight.  Can 
you  explain  it  all  ?  See  what  it  is  by  seeing  what  he 
does.  He  simply  recites  the  tale  of  prophetic  comfort 
brought  to  broken  lives  in  foreign  lands.  Hereby  he 
shows  the  beauty  of  lowly  readiness  in  men  for  saving 
help  from  God ;  and  he  publishes  God's  tenderness 
towards  all  bruised  sons  of  men. 

Now  ponder  this.  See  how  it  illustrates  his  theme 
from  Isaiah.  See  all  its  implications.  It  leads  the  proud, 
contemptuous  man  to  a  lowly  seat.  It  works  towards 
broadening  out  one's  sympathy  towards  universal  grief 
and  loss.  It  commends  the  broadest  brotherliness.  It 
invites  to  deepest  lowliness.  And  notice.  Only  as  this 
is  done  can  Jesus  carry  on  his  appointed  work  unhin- 
dered.   Till  this  is  done  his  way  is  blocked. 

Now  is  this  analysis  correct?  Study  it.  What 
words  would  you  italicize?  If  this  is  right,  does  it  fol- 
low that  the  attitude  of  the  Nazarenes  was  a  wicked 
obstinacy  of  Pharisaic  pride?  And  was  Jesus  too 
abrupt?  Considering  his  commission,  could  he  do  other- 
wise? As  his  teacher,  can  you  state  all  this  clearly, 
showing  the  case,  showing  his  brave  art,  and  so  defin- 
ing your  own  ideal?  Laziness  just  here  is  hardly 
becoming;. 


2^  Teacher 'Training  loith 

3.  The  outcome.  Define  the  issue.  They  are  all 
in  a  fit  of  deadly  rage.  They  even  try  right  there  to  per- 
petrate the  Master's  death.  How  will  you  estimate  this, 
as  a  failure,  or  a  success? 

Jesus'  eye,  as  he  expounds  Isaiah  and  feels  the  Spirit, 
and  hears  God's  mission,  is  on  the  needy,  the  needy 
everywhere,  the  needy  anywhere.  This  talk  about 
wounds  and  blindness  and  bonds,  and  about  aliens,  the 
lofty  and  exclusive  Galileans  resent.  Now  here  is  a  vital 
issue.  That  haughty  heartlessness  in  them,  and  this 
yearning  of  free  grace  in  him  can  never  walk  in  unison. 
They  are  at  war.  And  whatever  the  battle  may  come 
to  mean,  the  battle  must  be  set.  And  the  faithful,  gra- 
cious Saviour  doesn't  flinch.  Thus  he  taught.  Can  you 
rehearse  it  all  in  terse,  clear  terms?  Jesus  came  to  help 
the  hurt,  to  free  the  bound,  to  illumine  the  blind.  Men 
resent  the  hint  of  need  and  guilt.  Christ  explodes  their 
self-esteem  and  aristocracy.  They  retort  with  plots  of 
death.  This  is  an  early  scene  in  the  Master's  public  life. 
But  scan  the  Gospels.  Flow  often  in  his  swift  life  did 
the  very  like  recur?  How  liable  is  it  all  to  occur  even 
now?  Is  it  prudent  now  for  teachers  to  be  as  direct  and 
decisive  as  Christ? 

4.  Teaching  hints,  (a)  As  this  scene  presents  Christ, 
what  qualities  of  his  are,  as  qualities,  beyond  your  reach? 

(b)  As  Christ  is  seen  in  this  scene,  what  qualities  of 
his  are  within  your  reach?  See  what  is  involved  in  his 
fellow-feeling  for  the  lowly. 

(c)  As  a  guide  to  your  own  work,  describe  those 
who  are  likely,  and  those  who  are  unlikely  to  welcome 
saving  grace. 

(d)  The  relation  of  severity  and  kindliness.  These 
qualities  in  this  scene  are  worth  your  study.  Was  Jesus 
severe?  How  did  he  work  it  out?  Every  word  was 
kindly.  But  he  did  hew  to  the  line.  Work  this  out. 
You  will  find  few  finer  studies.  And  the  Gospels  are  full 
of  just  such  webs.  You  should  understand  their  pattern. 
It  will  hardly  be  worthy  of  a  worthy  teacher  to  give  this 
Up. 


The  Master  Teacher  -25 


LESSON  IV. 

The  Winning  of  Peter. 

Luke  5  :  i-ii. 

1.  Make  a  picture  in  your  mind  of  the  scene.  Let 
your  imagination  play;  it  is  better  than  any  painter's 
aid.  Think  of  the  items :  out  of  doors,  by  the  lake, 
the  boats,  the  nets,,  the  fishermen,  the  vain  night's  toil, 
the  throngs,  Jesus  at  the  center,  the  pressure  about  him. 
Make  the  scene  clear — the  scene  in  which  Peter  is 
enlisted  as  a  fisher  of  men  under  Christ. 

What  drew  those  throngs  so  compactly  together? 
Make  room  in  your  thought  for  Christ's  attracting 
power.  Think  of  the  open  display  of  Christ's  influence 
upon  his  fellow-men.  This  must  have  caught  Peter's 
eye  at  the  start.  He  saw  Christ's  power;  he  saw  the 
throngs,  eager  towards  the  Master. 

2.  Duly  Christ  singles  out  Peter.  Have  in  mind  his 
aim.     Watch  his  way  of  doing  it. 

(a)  He  enlisted  Peter's  boat.  Mark  this.  The  Mas- 
ter of  the  throngs,  the  center  of  the  multitude's  desire, 
used  Peter's  little  fishing  boat  to  prosecute  his  work. 
This  was  a  moving  act.  It  must  have  stirred  the  pride 
and  thought  and  heart  of  Peter. 

He  entered  it  as  Master.  Peter  and  his  boat  were 
subject  to  Jesus'  word.  Peter  was  not  his  own.  Think 
of  this.  Imagine  Peter  refusing.  But  why  did  he  so 
instantly  obey?  Something  lordly  in  the  Master  must 
have  been  evident.  Think  carefully  here.  There  is  a 
fine  deal  of  teaching  power  resident  in  one's  very  being 
and  style. 

Peter  set  the  boat  and  held  it  so  as  best  to  adjust  the 
Master  to  the  throng.  Imagine  his  carefulness  to  do  this 
right.   Think  of  his  being  careless  and  clumsy  and  unhelp- 


26  Teacher-Training  with 

ful  with  his  boat.  Surely  he  would  swing  it  about  with 
an  expert  hand,  and  hold  it  in  line  with  the  Master's 
easiest  use.  But  why?  Be  sure  to  answer.  Just  here 
Peter  was  an  adept.  This  humble  but  helpful  skill  Jesus 
employed  in  a  mighty  enterprise.  And  Peter  did  his 
best.  Measure  what  it  meant,  and  how  it  came  about, 
to  what  it  led  along. 

(b)  There  sits  Peter,  just  behind  the  Lord,  in  easy 
reach.  How  would  he  be  employed  while  Jesus  taught? 
Would  he  be  watching  the  boat?  Why?  Would  he  be 
studying  the  throng?  Would  he  be  pondering  the  Mas- 
ter, sitting  there  right  against  his  knee,  pouring  heav- 
enly messages  into  human  cars  ?  Think.  What  must 
have  passed  through  Peter's  soul,  while  the  Master 
taught,  and  the  people  sat  attent,  and  he  steadied  the 
boat.  Think,  too,  of  Christ.  Would  he  be  engrossed 
with  the  audience  on  the  shore?  Or  would  he  be  con- 
stantly conscious  of  Peter,  sitting  just  behind  his  back? 
To  whom  was  the  Master  fitting  that  speech,  to  the  men 
before,  or  to  the  man  behind? 

(c)  Fasten  in  your  mind  some  picture  of  Jesus'  man- 
ner, as  he  closed  his  address  and  turned  around  to  Peter. 
Think  here  earnestly.  What  was  Peter's  mood  and  atti- 
tude at  that  momentous  instant?  Plow  far  had  Jesus 
got  in  winning  Peter's  heart?  Imagine.  What  would 
Peter  next  expect,  his  hands  upon  the  familiar  oars? 
Study  this.  Mighty  interests  are  astir.  Study  the  Mas- 
ter's way.  What  do  you  think — and  do  not  fail  to  think 
this  out  all  by  yourself — what  do  you  think  was  the 
most  likely  7iext  step  to  secure  Peter's  discipleship?  Do 
not  let  your  mind  be  empty  here.     Think  something  out. 

(d)  That  order  to  pull  for  the  open  sea  and  find  the 
deep.  Connect  this  with  the  influence  and  likely  out- 
come of  the  teaching  by  the  shore.  How  would  the  two 
combine  in  winning  Peter's  life-long  love?  Mark 
Peter's  hesitancy.  He  had  worn  out  the  night  in  tedious, 
futile  toil.  He  was  worn  and  void  of  hope.  But  see  his 
mood  depart.  Jesus'  word  commands  his  will  and  he 
instantly  sets  to  pulling  out  to  sea.  Stop  and  study  this. 
How  far  has  Jesus  got  in  gaining  Peter's  loyalty  for 
life?     And  how  has  it  been  done?     And  what  remains 


The   Master  Teacher  2J 

to  do?     Evidently  the  Lord  may  work  his  will.     Peter 
is  under  his  hand. 

(e)  That  haul.  Read  into  Jesus'  mind.  Why  a 
miracle?  Why  this?  Why  so  bountiful?  At  its  heart, 
what  did  it  mean?  Jesus  had  regard  for  Peter's  body; 
he  needed  food.  He  had  respect  for  Peter's  trade;  he 
honored  his  nets.  He  had  a  sense  of  Peter's  failure;  he 
reversed  his  disappointment.  Ponder  this.  Jesus  showed 
himself  to  Peter,  and  to  Peter  all  alone,  a  skillful, 
respectful,  sympathetic  helper  -and  Lord.  Heed  every 
word,  every  turn.  They  are  warp  and  woof  of  the 
Master's  art.    So  he  won  his  man. 

(f)  Now  look  upon  the  wonder  of  it  all.  Who  was 
Jesus,  anyway?  Recall  his  marvellous  dominion  over 
the  multitude,  his  authority  over  Peter's  boat,  his  sov- 
ereignty in  beckoning  towards  the  deep,  his  mastery  of 
the  fullness  of  the  sea,  his  perfect  lordship  over  every 
phase  of  Peter's  being  and  life.  Take  the  measure  of  all 
this.  Get  a  living  sense  of  the  stature  and  majesty  of 
Christ  as  he  loomed  in  Peter's  boat.  Then,  Peter's  pros- 
tration at  the  last.  Why  was  this?  Just  what  did  it 
mean?  Was  it  of  purpose  in  Jesus'  mind  that  Peter 
should  be  overawed?  Was  it  comely  in  Peter?  Was  it 
welcome  to  Christ?  Imagine  that  sentiment  of  deep 
reverence  omitted  from  the  scene  and  from  the  heart 
of  Peter.  Just  what  was  its  value;  and  just  how  was 
it  wrought?  Was  it  really  needful  in  an  introduction  to 
the  Apostolate? 

(g)  Now  make  your  most  careful  list  of  Jesus'  quali- 
ties, and  of  Peter's  sentiments,  aiming  to  find  the  essen- 
tial things  in  the  work  of  enlisting  a  disciple  of  Christ. 
In  Christ  you  will  instantly  think  of  majesty,  friendli- 
ness, tact.  But  what  more?  In  Peter  you  will  name 
obedience,  humility,  devotedness.  But  wdiat  more? 
Then  ponder  that  commission.  Measure  well  each  word. 
Do  this.  Here  is  a  chance  for  an  ample  page  of  choicest 
appreciation  of  Jesus'  words. 

3.  Teaching  hints,  (a)  Jesus  taught  from  a  boat. 
No  cathedral,  no  choir,  no  vestments,  no  consecrated 
implements  of  any  sort.    What  are  the  essentials  of  any 


28  Teacher-Training  with 

teaching?    What  in  all  soberness,  are  the  real  necessities 
for  effective  teaching  under  Christ? 

(b)  The  power  of  mere  manner.  Picture  the 
Master's  appearance  through  all  this:  as  he  stood  in 
the  focus  of  the  throng;  as  he  threaded  out;  as  he 
stepped  into  the  boat  (would  he  be  awkward?)  ;  as  he 
seemed  to  Peter's  eye,  while  speaking  to  the  throng ;  as 
he  surveyed  the  sea  and  chose  where  to  drop  the  net ; 
as  the  boat  stood  full ;  as  he  quieted  Peter's  fear?  Think 
of  this  mere  manner,  rnu^ie  but  strong, 

(c)  The  transit  of  Christ's  attention  from  the  multi- 
tude to  Peter. 

(d)  The  simplicity,  majesty,  familiarity  of  Christ: 
how  entirely,  in  him,  these  three  agree ! 


The  Master  Teacher  2g 


LESSON  V. 

Answering  Deadly  Critics. 

John  5  :  10-47. 

1.  The  occasion.  Jesus  had  so  healed  a  man  on  the 
Sabbath  as  to  violate  current  Sabbath  rules.  This  he 
was  doing  continually.  The  Jews  took  offense  and  were 
continually  assailing  him.  Jesus  finally  said  that  in  it 
all  he  was  only  irnitating  God.  At  this  the  Jews  took 
high  off^ense.  Such  statements  smelt  of  blasphemy.  But 
study  this  from  Jesus'  side.  See  what  it  put  at  stake. 
By  such  a  charge  he  stood  beleaguered  on  every  side.  It 
essayed  to  undo  his  mission,  his  honor,  his  standing  with 
God,  his  life.  This  is  a  sharp  and  vital  case.  Now  fol- 
low the  Master's  method. 

2.  His  Teaching,  (a)  He  protests  perfect  fellowship 
with  God  (v.  19).  He  denies  that  he  does  anything 
apart  from  God.    He  and  the  Father  deeply  agree. 

(b)  This  fellowship  is  not  in  fractions  (v.  20).  It  is 
complete.  The  deeds  of  Father  and  Son  are  fully, 
exhaustively  alike.  All  that  the  Father  does  he  shows 
the  Son,    All  that  the  Son  beholds  he  freely  does. 

.(c)  This  co-partnership  is  due  to  love  (v.  20).  The 
Father  loves  the  Son.  Hence  his  revelation  is  absolutely 
unrestrained.  Hence  their  unison  in  full  fellowship  of 
knowledge  and  deed.  This  is  all.  But  see  how  complete 
it  is.  Work  it  over.  It  offers  two  persons — Father  and 
Soh.  It  points  to  one  bond — love.  Father,  Son,  Love. 
Ponder  those  three  words.  Into  what  measureless  deeps 
they  lead !  They  are  simple  words  indeed,  familiar  to  us 
all.  But  no  profounder  themes  were  ever  opened  into 
human  speech.  Study  here  the  Master's  poise  and  skill 
and  power.  His  words  are  plain  as  any  peasant's.  But 
he  is  impregnable,  resistless,  irrefutable. 

(d)  But  he  not  only  defends,  he  expands  his  claims. 


JO  Teacher-Training  with 

He  says  that  greater  deeds  than  any  yet  in  evidence  are 
in  God's  design.  In  illustration  he  mentions  two:  he 
has  received  authority  to  raise  the  dead;  and  he  has 
received  authority  to  act  as  universal  judge.  He  is  to 
sit  creative  and  supreme  at  the  primal  origin,  and  the 
ultimate  issue  of  human  life.  Get  the  range  of  this 
assertion.  It  is  fundamental,  ultimate.  Nothing  human 
lies  beneath  or  above  or  beyond  its  scope. 

Sit  here  awhile.  Get  the  measure  of  the  majesty  of 
your  Master's  mind  and  will.  Men  plot  his  death  and 
spit  upon  his  dignity.  But  he  is  no  craven.  And  he  is 
no  weakling  either.    Study  him  as  he  talks  on. 

(e)  Now  scale  the  summit  of  Christ's  claim  (v.  22)). 
Here  is  the  top  of  his  filial  and  official  self-conscious- 
ness. By  the  Father's  design  he,  the  Son,  is  to  receive 
with  the  Father  equal  honor.  Here  is  something 
superb.  Stay  in  its  presence.  It  is  an  unmeasured  self- 
assertion.  But  it  is  said  in  filial  beauty  and  grace.  And 
notice  how  closely  it  is  in  keeping  with  his  words  about 
the  Father's  love. 

(f)  Try  now  to  unify  all  these  claims.  See  how  all 
is  engrossed  in  the  love  of  the  Father  for  the  Son. 
Hence  the  revelation,  hence  the  knowledge,  hence  the 
authority,  hence  the  honor.  All  flows  out  of  the  love 
of  the  Father  for  the  Son.  This  is  his  reply.  Do. you 
detect  its  nature?  It  is  strictly  a  self-assertion.  Himself 
is  his  reply.  Alive  through  all  his  being  with  strong 
good-will  towards  men,  with  a  sense  of  the  Father's  infi- 
nite love,  and  with  a  triumphant  consciousness  of  his  own 
Godlike  majesty  and  worth,  he  stands  forth  before  his 
critical  and  deadly  foes,  and  oflfers  himself  as  his  com- 
plete and  final  answer  and  defense.  But  study  it  again 
as  a  whole.  See  how  he  deals  with  his  calumniators.  He 
simply  opens  the  fact  of  his  own  Sonship,  the  fact*  of 
God's  Fatherhood,  the  fact  of  love — these  three.  See 
how  these  three  agree  in  one.  See  how  he  unveils  and 
unburdens  the  meaning  of  things.  See  how  simple  he  is, 
but  how  deep,  and  how  wise,  and  how  gentle,  and  how 
strong.  See  how  it  all  coheres.  Try  to  pick  his  answer 
apart,  and  throw  away  some  part,  and  keep  the  rest.  It 
cannot  be  done.    Christ's  claim  of  Sonship  within  God's 


The   Master  Teacher  y 

Fatherly  love  enfolds  inseparably  all  he  says.  His 
answer  is  a  unit.  He  plants  a  central  bulwark,  and  thus 
holds  all.  Love— its  Fatherly  affluence,  its  Filial  zeal— 
this  is  all.     How  plain  !     How  omnipotent ! 

(g)  But  he  not  only  defends  and  expands  and  cul- 
minates his  claim;  he  also  assails  (vv.  33-47)-  See  him 
undo  their  strength.  The  witness  of  John ;  the  testi- 
mony of  my  deeds ;  the  attestation  of  God  ;  the  words  of 
Moses  and  ancient  Scripture — all  these  substantiate  my 
claim.  All  these  you  ostensibly  respect.  But  really,  the 
evidence  of  them  all  you  contemn  and  defy.  You  part 
from  John;  you  abjure  God's  word;  you  murmur  at  my 
works;  your  trust  in  Moses  is  not  real.  The  Godly  you 
reject.  God's  honor  you  ignore.  Your  real  craving  is 
for  praise  of  men.     You  are  not  of  God. 

Now  digest  this  paragraph.  Get  its  gist.  It  is  all  in 
V.  44.  It  is  a  grave  and  grievous  thrust.  But  terrible  as 
is  the  blow,  it  must  be  struck.  These  men  are  charging 
blasphemy.  They  are  ready  for  his  blood.  They  make 
for  the  Master's  very  heart.  Such  is  their  assault. 
His  counter  thrust  must  be  equally  direct  and  to  the 
point.  Hence  he  deals  tzvo  blows:  one  in  self-defense; 
and  one  in  counter  assault.  He  is  the  filial  center  of  the 
Father's  love.  They  are  void  of  any  word  or  vision  of 
God.  Such  are  the  power  and  point  of  Christ's  defense ; 
and  such  are  the  point  and  power  of  his  attack.  In 
both,  his  majesty  stands  infinite,  shining  like  the  sun. 

3.  Now  unify  the  chapter.  One  benevolent  deed  ;  an 
inhuman  anxiety  about  Sabbath  regulations;  a  zealous 
protestation  of  copartnership  with  God ;  a  verdict  of  the 
deadly  sin  of  blasphemy ;  a  counter  verdict  of  ungodly 
eagerness  for  human  praise.  This  is  the  chapter  entire. 
Who  stands  for  God,  Jesus  or  the  Jews?  This  is  the 
whole  of  it.  And  it  is  a  whole.  The  circle  is  entire.  It 
is  a  sketch  in  miniature  of  all  the  Master's  work.  He 
stands  there  glorious,  complete.  So  he  teaches.  Such 
he  is.    Do  you  care  to  attempt  some  outline  of  his  figure? 

(a)  Note  his  mood.  It  is  instinct  with  benevolence. 
Keep  that  scene  of  healing  in  mind.  It  is  the  core  of 
the  Master's  strength.  It  is  the  very  voice  of  God  within 
his  life. 


J2  Teacher-Training  with 

(b)  Fathom  his  thoroughness.  He  propounds  in- 
stantly his  most  fundamental  claim.  His  actions  hail 
from  God.  Study  his  two  illustrations — resurrection 
and  judgment.     Ponder  further  their  weight. 

(c)  Look  upon  his  courage.  How  unflinchingly  bold 
that  allusion  to  his  destined  honor.  Such  valor  is  born 
of  Truth.  And  see  how  he  presses  the  battle  to  the  gate. 
And  he  left  nothing  of  his  undefended,  nothing  of  theirs 
unrebuked.     His  mettle  is  ample,  and  it  is  all  true  steel. 

(d)  Measure  the  meaning  he  puts  into  Love.  It  is 
like  a  law  of  gravity.     It  dominates  all  his  being. 

(e)  See  his  mighty  jealousy  for  sincere  faith  in 
verity.  How  he  glows  at  the  attestations  of  John,  of 
Moses,  of  God,  of  his  own  deeds,  as  he  felt  his  enemies' 
disrespect ! 

(f)  Notice  where  his  strength  is  lodged.  All  his 
logic  roots  in  character.  He  is  the  offspring  of  pure 
Love.  His  nutriment  is  Truth.  Try  to  undo  anything 
he  said.  You  must  first  despoil  his  honor.  You  must 
disprove  his  origin.  As  kindly,  faithful,  well-beloved 
Son  of  God,  he  stands  unanswerable,  invincible.  You 
may  well  spend  many  a  day  in  the  light  and  atmosphere 
of  this  scene,  if  you  really  seek  for  skill  to  teach. 


The  Master  Teacher  jj 


LESSON  VI. 

Dealing  with  Doubt. 

Matt.  II  :  2-ig. 

1.  John,  (a)  Think  of  his  ardent  zeal,  his  moral 
vigor,  his  fine  courage,  his  burdened,  strenuous  life,  his 
multitudinous  following,  (b)  Think  of  his  formal  work 
on  Christ  in  baptism  and  introduction,  and  of  his  self- 
renunciation  as  the  Master's  mission  grew,  (c)  Think  of 
his  imprisonment,  and  life  peril,  and  lone  and  long  delay, 
(d)  Think  of  his  liability  to  look  innocently  for  greater 
suddenness  and  brilliancy  of  outer  majesty  in  the  appear- 
ance and  work  of  the  Messiah  than  Jesus  actually  dis- 
played, (e)  Think  of  the  strength  and  subtlety  of  temp- 
tation seizing  on  one's  darkest  hour  and  weakest  point; 
and  of  God's  mysteries  of  Providence ;  and  of  the  seem- 
ing primacy  of  wrong,  (f)  Think  how  his  disciples 
might  chafe  under  the  humiliation  of  their  lord ;  and  that 
John  may  possibly  have  sent  his  followers  to  Christ  for 
their  sake,  and  not  for  his  own. 

2.  John's  inquiry.  "Art  thou,  or  some  other  one  the 
Christ?"  Compute  the  gravity  of  this  question.  Let  its 
urgency  get  full  possession  of  your  mind.  In  its  answer 
John's  prestige  would  be  shattered  or  confirmed.  And  it 
opened  into  all  the  meaning  of  Jewish,  Messianic  hope. 
It  looked  toward  God.  It  involved  the  matter  of  heav- 
enly revelation.  It  was  a  query  searching  out  the  way 
to  ultimate  truth.  And  for  Jesus,  it  was  a  challenge  of 
his  topmost  worth,  his  inmost  strength,  his  uttermost 
authority.  Few  graver  questions  could  be  framed.  Do 
you  suppose  the  disciples  w^ho  brought  the  query  under- 
stood its  scope?  Were  they  looking  in  the  right  direc- 
tion for  a  reply?  Did  you  ever  study  this  matter  of 
questions  ?     It  is  worth  your  thought.     Many  inquiries 


04  Teacher-Training  with 

were  flung  up  to  Christ.  Look  them  up.  List  their 
precise  contents.  Mark  their  actual  aim.  Then  examine 
them  again  in  the  light  of  Christ's  replies. 

3.  Christ's  answer.  For  reply  Jesus  wrought  a  rich 
variety  of  benefits  for  men.  In  dispensing  these  bene- 
factions he  selected  the  blind,  lame,  leprous,  deaf,  dead 
and  poor — men  from  the  ranks  of  the  sick,  the  plagued, 
the  demoniacs.  This,  and  only  this,  is  Christ's  reply, 
except  that  he  cautions  against  offense.  This  done,  he 
sends  the  disciples  back  to  recite  to  John  the  things  they 
saw. 

Now  study  this  reply.  It  is  Jesus'  way,  as  teacher,  of 
giving  instruction  on  a  vital  theme  to  these  inquiring 
men.    Can  you  gather  some  hints  on  how  to  teach? 

(a)  The  answer  was  manifold.  Those  miracles  were 
numerous.  Can  you  master  this?  Can  you  get  form 
and  content  apart?  The  form  was  those  miracles;  these 
were  plural,  various.  But  how  about  the  content? 
What  did  they  all  mean?  At  heart,  was  Jesus'  answer 
simple  or  manifold?  Did  he  proffer  several  themes;  or 
did  he  proffer  only  one  appeal,  with  several  illustra- 
tions? What  would  you  say  to  this:  He  demonstrates 
humanity's  complete  deliverance  from  woe?  Or  this: 
He  manifests  complete,  omnipotent  compassion  for  our 
broken  lot?  Which  is  the  better  summary?  Just  where 
lies  their  difference?  And  after  all,  was  it  any  adequate 
reply  to  John's  inquiry  ? 

(b)  The  answer  was  not  direct.  It  led  a  devious 
way,  from  Christ's  inner  intent,  through  things  external 
and  marvellous,  through  various  definite  deeds,  through 
different  and  dissimilar  witnesses,  through  oral,  second- 
hand accounts,  through  John's  mental  ponderings,  to  its 
final  form  in  John's  conclusion.  Now  what  do  you  say 
to  this?  Why  could  Christ  not  be  more  explicit  and 
direct  and  precise?  Why  not  answer  "yes"  outright? 
But  notice  Christ's  way.  What  do  you  think  was  Jesus' 
teaching  theory  here?  Which  is  the  better,  the  wisest 
way;  to  dictate  replies,  or  to  draw  them  out?  John 
would  have  to  arrange,  and  study,  and  ponder,  and  inter- 
pret. Thus  the  real  reply  to  John's  question  would,  in 
a  very  real  sense,  be  John's  own  work.    Think  of  this. 


The  Master  Teacher  35 

(c)  The  answer  is  conveyed  by  reporters.  Jesus  did 
not  go  himself.  He  held  aloof,  unheard  and  unseen  by 
John.  The  inquirer  had  to  trust  to  witnesses.  The 
answer  was  second-hand.  And  then  the  report  was 
plural.  It  had  a  double  tongue.  There  were  two  to 
observe,  two  to  estimate,  two  to  give  the  recital.  Doubt- 
less their  stories  diverged.  They  would  not  see  or  hear 
or  think  or  talk  in  fullest  precision  alike.  Look  into  this. 
It  raises  the  whole  question  of  the  accuracy,  honor, 
credibility,  discrepancy  and  personal  element  of  wit- 
nesses. Do  you  see  just  where  this  leads?  And  remem- 
ber. You  are  not  dealing  with  the  Bible  now ;  you  are 
dealing  with  Christ.  See  what  you  judge  his  views 
about  witnesses  to  be. 

(d)  The  answer  cautions  against  offense.  Both  sides 
of  this  deserve  your  thought — the  side  of  John,  and  the 
side  of  Christ.  Think  here.  Christ  is  liable  to  give 
offense.  This  demands  your  eye.  Watch  him  with  this 
in  view  right  through  his  life.  See  how  many  times  he 
fully  expected  and  bravely  proceded  to  give  offense. 
Recall  the  scene  at  Nazareth.  And  John,  with  other 
men,  is  liable  to  take  offense.  Find  illustrations.  Study 
sharply  the  incident  offered  here.  Can  you  find  any  irk- 
some element  in  what  the  Saviour  said  or  did  ?  What 
was  it  that  moved  the  Lord  to  voice  that  warning  word? 
All  he  said  and  all  he  did  seems  vestured  with  a  beauti- 
ful grace.  Why  then  anticipate  offense?  Study  into 
this.  Find  out  what  Jesus  was  driving  at.  Read  this 
whole  chapter  with  this  one  thought  in  mincf.  Study  all 
he  says  of  John — his  edged  inquiries,  his  glowing  praise, 
his  words  of  mystery,  disclosing  John's  rare  eminence, 
and  the  Jews'  abhorrence  of  his  ways.  Then  study  all 
the  Master  says  about  himself,  and  about  their  disdain 
and  spleen  in  the  face  of  all  his  friendly  grace.  They 
voted  the  Baptist  a  demoniac,  and  Jesus  a  glutton.  They 
took  stiff  offense.  Get  into  this.  What  is  its  drift? 
Read  all  the  chapter  over.  Weigh  those  pointed  hints  at 
poverty,  and  leprosy,  and  demon-possession,  and  death, 
and  disease,  and  need.  And  think.  To  whom  is  such  talk 
musical  ?  What  are  the  inner  implications  of  Christ's 
grace?     How  is  it  bound  to  strike  the  whimsical  and 


j6  Teacher-Training  with 

unpenitent  and  insincere?    Clear  and  thorough  thinking 
here  is  worth  your  while.    This  is  no  minor  incident. 
4.  Teaching  hints. 

(a)  See  the  Master  work  into  lowliest  lives  the 
formal  demonstration  of  his  heavenliness. 

(b)  See  how  he  leaves  inquirers  to  ponder  on  his 
ways. 

(c)  See  his  supreme  respect  for  man's  own  judg- 
ment.   He  leaves  his  case  to  John. 

(d)  See  how  he  offers  a  section  out  of  his  familiar, 
every-day  life  as  ample  answer  to  an  ultimate  challenge 
of  his  mission.  He  gave  nothing  novel.  Just  what  had 
been  occurring  every  day  was  quite  enough.  Study 
John  10 :  25. 

(e)  Think  thus  of  human  dullness ;  and  of  Jesus' 
patience. 

(f)  See  if  you  can  formulate  Christ's  philosophy  in 
dealing  with  doubt. 


The  Master  Teacher  j/ 


LESSON  VII. 

Rest  Under  Burdens. 

Matt.  II  :  20-30. 

I.  The  vital  situation,  (a)  The  occasion  of  Christ's 
comments.  He  had  done  many  mighty  deeds  in  Chora- 
zin,  Bethsaida  and  Capernaum — deeds  that  would  have 
won  Tyre  and  Sidon  and  Sodom.  But  these  people 
would  not  repent.  Here  rise  hard  problems.  The  favors 
of  Providence  differ.  Results  are  strangely  variant. 
Fidelity  stands  unrewarded.  Most  lavish  labors  of  love 
are  futile.  The  same  labors,  done  elsewhere,  would  have 
availed.  Do  not  haste  here.  Labor  to  enter  into  Christ's 
lot.  Think  of  his  desires  towards  these  cities.  Think 
of  his  vital  outlay.  Think  of  his  persistence  and  repeti- 
tion of  effort.  Think  of  the  point  of  attack — sins. 
Think  of  his  deep  moral  abhorrence,  and  of  their  evil  in- 
sistence. Here  is  effort,  long-drawn,  tireless,  multiform ; 
and  here  is  opposition,  cold,  wicked,  obdurate.  Enter  into 
this.   No  distress  could  be  more  rending.   Do  you  feel  it  ? 

(b)  Christ's  attitude  towards  God.  Study  here  with 
sympathy.  Jesus  is  in  sore  trouble.  He  takes  refuge  in 
God  (vv.  25-27).     Mark  the  elements. 

He  calls  God  "Father"  and  "Lord."  Note  each  word. 
Set  them  well  apart.  Get  the  weight  and  meaning  of 
each  by  itself.  Then  balance  them.  See  their  value. 
Providences  vary,  but  God  is  not  unkind  or  unfair ;  he 
is  "Father."  Though  his  messages  are  mocked,  he  is  not 
dethroned  ;  he  is  "Lord."  Study  this  combination.  Those 
two  titles  are  two  pillars.  They  can  bear  aloft  a  goodly 
arch  of  heavenly  trust,  and  steady  any  soul  in  any  lot  in 
perfect  quietness.  He  speaks  of  God's  "good  pleasure," 
freely  and  gladly  conceding  that  its  sovereignty  was 
supreme.  This  is  the  Master's  explicit  creed.  Note  it. 
He  sees  that  God  adjusts  himself  to  men,  pouring  light 


j8  Teacher-Training  with 

into  childlike  lives,  and  leaving  the  scornful  and  self- 
satisfied  to  w^ander  in  their  own  ways.  He  recalls  and 
avows  the  infinite  fullness  of  sole  fellowship  of  Father 
with  Son,  and  his  blessed  mission  as  free  revealer  of  the 
Father's  name.  He  confesses  close  and  utter  acquies- 
cence with  God  in  all  his  free,  Fatherly,  sovereign,  dis- 
cerning rule.  Thus  Jesus  turns  from  Capernaum  to 
God — with  an  eagle  eye,  with  a  humble  heart,  in  filial 
unison. 

(c)  Now  hold  these  two  realities — Christ's  deep  sor- 
row over  Capernaum,  and  his  utter  acquiescence  in  God 
— together.  Study  them  well.  In  those  hard  conflicts  in 
Capernaum — the  unrelaxing  onset  of  his  infinite  strength 
upon  all  wrong,  against  the  unrelenting  preference  of 
their  hearts  for  willful  sin — his  soul  was  tossed  in  an 
infinite  unrest.  But  in  this  full  and  genial  fellowship  of 
Father  and  Son  his  soul  is  filled  with  an  infinite  peace. 
Study  these  two.  Each  is  a  reality.  Each  sits  immense 
within  his  life.  In  his  true  being  everything  is  gen- 
uine. As  he  looks  upon  the  costly  outlay  of  his  life  in 
Chora.zin,  and  sees  the  awful  issue,  his  anguish  is  a  real 
Gethsemane ;  he  feels  the  very  torture  of  the  cross.  But 
as  he  takes  refuge  in  God,  the  compassionate  Father,  the 
Sovereign  Lord,  the  discerning  Judge  of  all,  his  anguish 
is  all  assuaged. 

(d)  Here  is  something  worth  your  keenest  watch- 
fulness. Your  Master  is  standing  here  in  the  very  thick 
of  one  of  the  deepest  problems  of  life  and  thought.  Do 
you  see  this?  If  you  fail,  you  have  your  deepest  lessons 
yet  to  learn.  Review  this  scene,  not  aimlessly,  but  with 
precise  design.  Persist,  until  it  all  stands  real.  With 
keen  mind  and  compliant  heart  he  abides  patiently  in 
his  place.  Examine  well  your  Master  here.  He  is 
teaching  by  example.  He  consciously  assumes  a  model 
attitude.  He  guides  the  burdened  life  into  rest  by  adjust- 
ing his  own  bruised  heart  to  acquiescent  trust.  He  is 
saying  "Learn  of  me."  And  as  he  speaks  he  stands 
beneath  his  own  life's  mystery  and  hurt  in  perfect  rest 
of  patient  trust. 

2.  Special  aspects  of  Christ,  (a)  Seeming  defeat. 
Give  this  your  thought.     Jesus  is  a  moral  teacher.     He 


The   Master  Teacher 


39 


is  training  followers  and  co-workers.  His  aim  is  utter 
conquest  of  sin.  But  in  these  three  cities,  where  his 
labors  had  been  most  profuse,  he  meets  a  stiff  repulse. 
In  such  a  plight  what  would  you  do?  Watch  Christ. 
He  does  not  modify  his  claims  one  whit.  No  passage 
in  all  four  Gospels  swings  into  a  grander  strain  than  he 
voices  here.  He  and  the  sovereign  Father  are  perfectly 
at  one.     This  experience  is  no  defeat. 

(b)  Christ's  moral  strength.  Study  that  phrase,  "They 
repented  not."  What  lay  back  of  that  ?  A  crisis.  Jesus 
had  laid  bare  their  sins.  He  had  outlined  and  published 
their  very  life.  That  discovery  was  absolute.  When  his 
work  was  done,  sin  stood  plain  and  black.  Study,  too, 
those  words  announcing  a  "judgment"  to  come.  Their 
career  is  not  yet  complete.  Portentous  days  are  yet  to 
come.  Then  note  his  comparisons.  Sodom  and  Caper- 
naum do  not  stand  alike.  How  he  discriminates  !  Jt.:>us 
is  not  repulsed.  He  dominates  all  the  scene,  as  a  moral 
force. 

(c)  See  his  penetration.  As  he  faces  the  differing 
actions  of  men,  he  traces  out  their  roots.  Some  have 
open  minds,  like  little  infants.  Note  his  words.  Others 
spurn  all  counsel,  being  in  their  own  eyes  all-wise.  Simi- 
larly he  ponders  into  God's  diversities  and  finds  their 
grounds.  He  is  free.  Mark  this.  He  is  Lord.  He  is 
Father.  He  transcends  all  finite  minds.  Here  are  deep 
words.    They  show  a  piercing  insight.    Do  you  see  this? 

(d)  The  sweep  of  his  mind.  His  range  touches  ulti- 
mates.  "They  repented  not."  There  his  labors  halt. 
He  respects  man's  choice.  Man  is  free.  And  yet,  watch 
the  Master's  flight.  He  speaks  of  the  "judgment." 
Man's  impenitence  is  not  the  end.  Then  that  phrase, 
"Lord  of  heaven  and  earth."  Measure  it,  as  Jesus  must 
have  done.  And  do  not  be  too  eager  to  hurry  on.  To 
make  haste  here  is  to  stand  in  your  old  tracks.  That 
affirmation  about  his  Sonship  and  commission.  His 
thought  here  takes  far  flights  into  deep  interior  realms. 
Make  some  honest  effort  to  follow  him.  His  challenge 
of  all  who  labor.  How  far  abroad  does  that  short  sen- 
tence sweep?  Here  is  something  of  which  we  ought  to 
know.     But  are  you  sure  you  can  reach  the  bounds  of 


^o  Teacher-Training  with 

his  thoughts  in  your  own  and  your  nearest  neighbor's 
life?  Lay  plans  for  taking  time  and  spending  thought 
here. 

(e)  The  blending  of  gentleness  and  strength.  As 
Jesus  offers  himself  here,  two  relations  appear.  He 
stands  over  against  whole  cities,  set  in  stern  antagonism. 
But  he  neither  surrenders  nor  flees.  He  presents  him- 
self to  them  as  a  mighty  headland,  braving  all  the  anger 
of  a  surging  sea.  He  is  kingly  strong.  Study  your 
Lord,  as  he  teaches  by  example  here.  He  bears  the 
world's  full  shock  of  sin  and  need.  He  stands  in  impreg- 
nable peace.  He  holds  irresistible  control.  He  offers 
omnipotent  aid.  He  accosts  with  courtliest  grace.  Thus 
the  Master  teaches.  He  handles  royal  themes.  He 
shows  royal   art. 

3.  Teaching  hints. 

(a)  "Most"  of  his  mighty  works.  How  many  would 
this  be?     Why  so  many?     Would  they  vary? 

(b)  He  sought  "repentance."  This  is  all.  Study 
repentance — how  difficult,  how  repulsive,  how  essential, 
how  primary,  how  searching.  Imagine  Jesus  making 
some  compromise. 

(c)  The  depth  of  discord  between  a  teacher  battling, 
and  a  pupil  cherishing  sin. 

(d)  Imagine  the  last  vanishing  of  hope. 

(e)  List  Christ's  qualities  in  Capernaum :  thorough- 
ness, patience,  good-will,  respect,  consistency,  power, 
calmness. 

(f)  List  Christ's  qualities,  as  he  issues  his  call  to 
burdened  lives :  insight,  self-respect,  triedness.  Godliness, 
lowliness,  peacefulness. 

(g)  Now  combine  all  these  elements,  and  study  the 
combination  in  its  real  life,  as  he  stands  teaching  his  fol- 
lowers by  his  very  being,  as  the  kind,  true,  pure,  lowly, 
calm,  patient,  strong  friend  of  man  and  Son  of  God. 


The  Master  Teacher  41 


LESSON  VIII. 

Teaching  Mercy  to  a  Pharisee. 

Luke  7  :  36-50. 

I.  Realize  the  scene,  (a)  Study  the  Gospel  feasts,  to 
get  clear  as  to  their  customs.  Gather  together  out  of 
this  one  paragraph  as  many  distinct  details  of  a  feast 
as  you  can.  Get  a  sense  of  their  ideas  of  courtesy,  of 
their  ways  of  showing  respect,  of  the  manner  of  their 
hospitality. 

(b)  Try  to  reach  some  opinion  about  Simon.  Look 
into  the  meaning  of  his  neglect  to  provide  for  his 
guest  water  and  oil,  and  to  greet  him  with  any  kiss. 
Think  how  it  came  about  that  Simon  invited  Christ. 
There  must  have  been  some  close  attention  and  some 
real  respect  on. his  part  towards  Christ.  Estimate  this 
from  Christ's  point  of  view.  There  was  some  vantage 
ground  for  the  Master's  work  during  this  feast.  Yet 
it  comes  clear  that  Simon  was  lacking  in  deep  fellow- 
ship with  Christ's  views  of  grace.  Study  his  moral 
attitude.  He  was  a  Pharisee.  And  he  was  Pharisaic. 
He  looked  askance  at  people  he  called  "sinners."  He 
had  not  the  Master's  eye  to  see  the  worth  of  a  broken 
heart.  He  invited  Christ;  but  in  the  heart  of  that  invi- 
tation there  was  no  thought  of  fostering  any  work  of 
saving  mercy.  But  in  his  welcome  of  Christ,  scant 
though  it  was,  there  was  involved  the  presence  of  this 
"sinner." 

(c)  Give  attentive  heed  to  the  woman.  Try  to  see 
her,  as  Simon  saw  her — an  outcast,  corrupt,  unpromising. 
Try  to  see  her,  as  she  saw  herself — a  wicked,  broken, 
worthless  life.  Try  to  see  her,  as  Jesus  saw  her — un- 
clean, but  penitent  and  eager  for  his  mercy.  Study  the 
power  and  havoc  of  her  sin.  See  the  beauty  already 
evident  in  her  life — her  deep  respect  for  Christ,  her  out- 


^2  Teacher-Traming  with 

lay  for  his  sake,  her  profound  humility,  her  fine  cour- 
age, her  signs  of  thoughtfulness.  See  if  sorrow  and 
love  sum  it  all  up. 

(d)  Study  all  the  manner  of  Christ.  He  honored 
the  invitation.  He  bore  quietly  the  meagerness  of  his 
host's  attentions.  He  forbore  all  signs  of  dislike  or  sur- 
prise at  the  woman's  humble,  costly  ministry.  He 
studied  into  the  deeps  of  all  he  saw.  His  mind  was 
quite  as  active  and  quite  as  accurate  as  Simon's.  Think 
of  the  Master  as  winning,  and  then  receiving,  and  then 
accepting,  and  then  improving  this  invitation  from  this 
cool  and  lofty  Pharisee. 

Study  the  scene  over  and  over.  Scan  each  party. 
Get  their  inner  qualities,  their  outward  appearance,  their 
past  career,  their  present  standing  vividly  in  view.  Feel 
after  the  life  philosophy  of  each.  Fix  upon  the  central 
feature  of  it  all.  Was  it  Simon's  moral  shock?  This 
deserves  your  thought.  You  ought  to  answer  it.  Only 
so  will  you  see  what  Christ  was  driving  at. 

2.  Christ's  instruction,  (a)  The  parable.  Here  is 
an  exquisite  gem,  if  you  have  eyes  to  see.  But  at  its 
every  turn  your  insight  must  be  moral.  .  Are  you  sure 
you  know  just  what  this  means?  To  start — can  you  see 
why  Jesus  devised  a  parable?  What  is  its  peculiar 
value  in  the  teaching  art  in  general,  and  in  this  case  in 
particular?  Its  theme — two  debtors.  Why  "debtors"? 
Why  "two"?     Do  not  rush  on.     Every  word  has  weight. 

"Nothing  to  pay."  Both  were  bankrupt.  Why  bank- 
rupt? Why  both?  Do  you  see?  How  would  Simon 
estimate  these  points? 

"Forgave  them  both."  Why  the  idea  of  forgiveness? 
Why  forgiveness  for  two?  Would  Simon  see  the  point? 
Do  you  ?  "Which  of  them  will  love  the  most  ?"  Why 
a  question  here?  Do  not  scorn  this.  It  is  a  vital  point 
in  teaching.  Why,  at  the  vital  point,  refer  the  whole 
case  to  the  pupil?  Why  did  he  put  the  question  to 
Simon  ?  Why  did  he  center  it  about  "love"  ?  This  ques- 
tion involved  what?  You  should  not  shrink  or  shirk 
here.  Things  are  getting  rather  pointed  for  Simon.  Do 
you  see  this?  Just  what  is  the  point?  After  all,  which 
way  does  the  point  turn  ?     Ponder  the  whole   parable 


The  Master  Teacher  43 

now.  Its  outer  aspect  is  perfectly  innocent  and  simple. 
But  it  can  pinch  bitterly.  And  it  has  sweet  solace.  It 
so  portrays  two  people  that  the  one  who  enters  the 
scene  under  the  deepest  reproach  emerges  with  the 
highest  praise.  Ponder  this.  Its  skill  is  peerless.  Think 
of* the  seats  at  that  feast.  How  did  Simon  arrange  his 
guests?  Where  would  he  place  himself?  How  would 
Jesus'  teaching  rearrange  the  feast? 

(b)  The  direct  talk  to  Simon.  Note  every  word.  It 
is  no  parable  now.  Picture  the  flash  and  aim  of  Jesus' 
eye.  Heed  the  crisp,  swift  words  that  leap  from  the 
edges  of  his  well-trained  lips.  Trace  the  sharp  precision 
of  every  single  phrase.  See  how  he  bids  Simon  keep  his 
eye  on  the  woman,  as  he  sends  the  terse  indictment 
home.  And  remember,  Simon  is  host,  and  Jesus  is  guest. 
'T  entered  your  house.  I  was  bidden  in  by  you.  You 
gave  me  no  water.  You  gave  me  no  kiss.  You  gave  me 
no  oil.  Now  look  upon  this  lowly  object  of  your  high 
contempt.  See  what  she  does.  For  want  of  water  she 
uses  her  tears.  For  want  of  a  towel  she  uses  her  hair. 
Her  kisses  fall  in  showers.  And  in  place  of  oil,  she  has 
lavished  costly  ointment.  She  is  a  sinner  indeed ;  and 
her  lapses  are  multiplied.  But  the  tides  of  her  sorrow 
and  love  are  full.  She  has  my  costliest  favor.  Her  sins 
are  pardoned.  But  in  your  scant  life,  with  its  little 
love  and  little  grief,  is  little  forgiveness."  Surely  here 
is  teaching  that  is  to  the  point.    Name  its  traits. 

(c)  The  word  to  the  woinan.  According  to  the 
record,  those  words  are  few.  But  read  the  whole  recital 
through  again,  with  this  humble  sinner  alone  in  mind. 
Do  you  judge  her  blind  or  deaf?  How  much  of  all  the 
Saviour  said  would  she  appropriate?  Those  two  debt- 
ors— which  would  she  say  was  meant  for  her?  That 
sentence  about  forgiveness — how  would  that  be  seized 
by  her?  And  then  the  Master's  mention  of  her  kisses 
and  precious  ointment  and  bitter  tears — and  all  in 
terms  of  contrast  with  Simon's  parade  of  hospitality — 
what  message  did  her  heart  obtain  from  this?  And 
finally  that  outright  pledge  of  pardon  and  the  tender  coun- 
sel to  go  her  way  in  peace — do  not  fail  to  think  how  she 
would  feel,  as  she  found  her  loving,  contrite  heart  bathed 


^^  Teacher'Training  loith 

in  the  light  of  such  instruction  in  the  Saviour's  work  of 
grace. 

3.  Teaching  hints. 

(a)  See  how  Christ's  influence  worked  on  these  two 
people  before  this  feast.  His  power  is  finely  manifest 
within  this  scene.  But  vital  factors  lie  back  there  in 
former  scenes,  out  of  sight.  Influence  in  a  teacher's  life 
has  its  roots  and  growth,  as  well  as  its  ripened  fruit. 

(b)  Christ  drew  about  himself  opposite  sorts.  He 
had  real  breadth. 

(c)  Christ's  thoughts  of  men  were  most  distin- 
guishing and  distinct.  He  did  not  view  nor  handle  all 
alike. 

(d)  Trace  to  its  root  Simon's  error.  What  was  his 
point  of  view? 

(e)  Can  you  formulate  any  of  Jesus'  axioms?  What 
was  his  point  of  view? 

(f)  Watch  the  Master's  eye.  See  how  he  finds  big 
meanings  in  small  things.     And  he  noted  everything. 

(g)  See  how  Christ  drew  out  of  his  pupil  his  funda- 
mental truth. 

(h)  Study  pupils.  In  the  school  of  Christ,  what 
makes  a  pupil  apt?  What  makes  a  pupil  dull?  With 
Christ  as  teacher,  where  lay  the  difference  between 
Simon  and  the  woman,  as  regards  docility? 

(i)  See  how  deeply  Christ  suffered  his  life  to  be 
inserted  into  other  lives,  in  order  to  gain  a  vantage 
ground  for  teaching. 


The  Master  Teacher  45 


LESSON  IX. 

How    Greed    for    Goods    Stifles    Souls. 

Luke  12  :  13-21. 

1.  Study  the  case  brought  to  Jesus'  hand.  It  is  two 
brothers.  Bred  of  a  single  sire,  reared  in  a  common 
home,  they  should  have  lived  in  mutual,  continual  love. 
But  though  of  closest  common  interest,  and  nearest  kin, 
sharers  hitherto  in  a  common  fund,  there  somehow 
comes  a  break.  They  fail  to  lovingly  agree.  The  parti- 
tion of  the  estate  seems  to  be  delayed.  There  lie  the 
funds  between  them.  Each  is  destined  to  have  a  share.  It 
is  the  duty  of  both  to  agree  to  divide.  Both  eye  the  pile. 
Each  sees  that  its  partition  is  sure  to  come.  But  the 
business  halts.  Either  one- is  over  eager;  or  the  other 
is  over  slow.  Probably  the  elder  brother  proscrastinates, 
loving  the  control  of  funds,  and  growing  cold  towards 
the  second-born.  But  the  younger  brother  hates  delay. 
He  covets  to  have  his  part.  He  is  hot  for  division. 
Thus  comes  strife.  One  hastes.  One  nalts.  One  grasps 
to  hold  it  all.  One  grasps  to  get  his  share.  Both 
hearts  grow  heated  in  the  thirst  of  greed.  Towards 
each  other  both  hearts  grow  cold.  They  lose  the  filial 
sense  of  the  father's  solicitous  care.  Forgetful  to  love 
like  brothers,  or  to  be  reverent  towards  a  father's  wish, 
they  stand  upon  the  edge  of  fratricidal  hate.  Such  is  the 
case,  such  the  cause,  and  such  the  outlook  towards  a 
dreadful  end. 

2.  Jesus'  treatment,  (a)  He  declines  to  arbitrate. 
This  seems  almost  unwise.  But  search  into  the  Master's 
thought.  Why  did  he  refuse?  Think  deeply  here.  In 
our  day  everybody  counsels  towards  such  acts  of  refer- 
ence. Surely  the  wisdom  and  honor  of  Christ  would  be 
adequate  for  such  a  court.  But  see.  Jesus  himself 
resists  the  first  approach.    And  in  what  he  instantly  adds 


46  Teacher-Traming  101th 

we  see  the  reason.  He  detects  the  rage  of  greed  in  both 
those  brothers'  hearts.  His  thought  cuts  down  beneath 
that  call  for  his  decision.  Such  a  judgment  would  effect 
no  cure.  When  two  brothers  are  at  odds  about  a  patri- 
mony, and  their  disagreement  amounts  to  strife,  the 
Master's  eye  detects  that  the  only  way  to  reconcile  their 
lives  is  to  cut  out  all  that  overgrowth  of  greed.  On  this 
conviction  is  based  all  the  teaching  that  this  lesson 
yields.  '  Now,  viewing  Jesus  as  a  teacher,  were  his  act 
and  attitude  correct?  In  a  strictly  similar  case,  would 
you  discourage  the  resort  to  a  referee?  Have  care  here, 
A  good  deal  turns  on  your  reply. 

(b)  His  caution  against  covetousness.  Sit  down 
here  and  look  in  upon  his  words  at  length.  They  are  very 
few.  But  measure  every  one.  How  direct,  how  sweep- 
ing, how  intense  they  are !  His  theme,  covetousness. 
Scan  its  face.  Feel  its  fire  and  power.  Imagine  its 
action,  just  for  once;  only  one  sole  outburst  of  pure 
greed.  What  is  its  quality?  From  what  does  it  spring? 
How  does  it  consort  with  love?  When,  as  here,  it 
grasps  for  material  things,  how  does  it  affect  the  spirit 
of  man?  Did  you  ever  stop  to  study  covetousness? 
Here  is  your  chance.  Note  well  that  word  "all."  It  is 
short,  but  its  sweep  is  boundless.  It  more  than  hints 
that  greed  is  manifold  and  oft  recurrent.  And  it  coun- 
sels to  be  keen,  and  to  keep  keen.  Detect  its  varying 
guise.  Learn  to  uncover  it  every  time.  Do  not  suffer 
its  action  once.  Keep  resolute  against  it.  Keep  alert. 
Keep  free  from  covetousness.  Keep  forever  free.  Here 
is  fine  teaching.  Do  you  see  how  profoundly  wise  he  is? 
Do  you  feel  how  tense  he  is?  Tarry  right  here.  Good 
marks  of  good  teaching  are  right  in  sight. 

(c)  That  pointed  hint  at  the  wide  difference  between 
a  man's  "life"  and  his  "possessions."  Ponder  over  "life." 
Did  you  ever  define  it?  Begin  right  here.  Begin  by 
contrasting  it  with  "goods."  What,  deeply  what,  is  the 
difference?  Then  weigh  the  word  itself.  Weigh  "life." 
Surely  you  must  not  use  "death"  or  "decay"  or  any 
essential  "change"  in  inventing  its  definition.  It  is  life. 
It  has  deep  fountains  within  itself.  It  is  thus  essentially 
immortal   and   free.     Follow   this   up.     Think   of  it   as 


The   Master  Teacher  ^ 

Jesus  would.  Here  again  is  the  very  rock  on  which  his 
teachings  rest.  Get  your  own  feet  fast  on  the  same 
sure  base. 

3.  I'he  parable.  Scan  every  feature.  Remember  its 
occasion.     Keep  referring  it  back  to  those  two  brothers. 

(a)  Note  that  plethora  of  goods.  Detect  their 
nature.  They  come  out  of  the  ground.  They  are  God's 
gift.  They  are  the  outcome  of  man's  toil.  They  are 
life's  sustenance.     But  they  are  all  material,  decaying. 

(b)  Listen  to  the  fj\rmer's  monologue.  He  gleans 
and  garners  all ;  and  as  he  scans  the  heaping  fruits,  his 
palate  and  his  paunch  become  the  eager,  happy  center 
of  his  life.  He  bids  his  soul  relax.  He  bids  his  appetite 
awake.  He  plans  for  years  of  long-drawn,  steaming 
feasts.  He  plans  fjor  nothing  else.  He  plans  to  eat,  and 
eat,  and  eat  again.  The  ever  recurring  call  to  feast  is 
to  him  the  acme  of  delight. 

But  it  is  also  the  very  emblem  of  decay.  He  continu- 
ally hungers  again.  All  his  heaped  up  edibles  can  never 
make  him  full.  In  very  fact  all  his  merry  round  of  feasts 
is  but  a  heedless  dance  with  death.  All  its  joys  are 
mortal.    Its  inevitable  issue  is  the  grave. 

And  all  the  while  his  immortal  soul  subsists  unfed. 
To  this  inner  deathless  being,  this  potent,  tireless  energy, 
he  stupidly  exclaims,  "desist ;  relax ;  give  over  work ; 
take  thine  ease."  And  to  his  gross  flesh  he  says,  "Do 
nought  but  eat ;  think  only  of  steaming  kettles,  and  brew- 
ing pots,  and  foaming  cups ;  wallow  in  gluttony ;  call  this 
merriment."  And  so  he  also  forgets  his  neighbor's  life. 
(Recall  the  two  brothers.)  And  he  ignores  his  God;  he 
stores  no  wealth  with  him.  Thus  the  Master  paints  the 
covetous,  the  man  of  greed,  the  man  whose  primal  care 
is  for  material  goods,  the  man  who  is  hot  for  his  inheri- 
tance. He  forgets  his  God;  he  disowns  his  brother;  he 
stifles  himself. 

(c)  Now  face  the  Master's  word.  "Thou  fool !"  Is 
this  too  rude?  Is  it  unwise?  Is  it  untrue?  Do  you  dare 
condemn  it?  Would  it  be  your  probable  retort?  If 
not,  why  not?  Have  you  your  Master's  sense  of  the 
havoc  and  sin  of  covetousness?  This  is  by  no  means 
his  only  reference      Would  you  care  to  glean  from  the 


^8  Teacher-Training  with 

Gospels  your  Master's  relative  estimates  of  soul  and 
body,  of  spiritual  and  material  things,  of  things  decaying 
and  things  eternal?    Possibly  surprises  await  you  here. 

(d)  And  now  the  lazy,  care-free  epicure,  of  a  sudden, 
dies — an  undeveloped  soul  forced  to  face  his  forgotten 
God.  Despite  his  barns,  he  stands  there  beggar-poor. 
For  all  his  piling  wealth  he  has  been  sternly  forced  to 
sign  a  full  release.  Soul  and  body  have  had  to  part. 
And  now  he  stands  in  final  judgment,  stripped  and 
starved — an  utter  bankrupt.  Thus  he  deals  with  the 
man  who  gluts  his  body  and  starves  his  heart.  Thus  he 
handles  the  man  who  in  his  passion  for  gain  falls  to 
fighting  with  his  brother.  Such  is  the  death  of  men 
whose  barns  and  feasts  eclipse  their  God  and  the  life  to 
come.     It  is  their  absolute  undoing  and  defeat. 

4.  Now  try  to  sense  the  value  of  the  Master's  art 
in  this  teaching  scene. 

(a)  Get  its  sum.  Greed  may  never  be  indulged,  not 
even  once,  nor  in  any  style.  Once  indulged,  no  arbitra- 
tion can  effect  a  cure. 

Fully  grown,  it  makes  a  man  a  fool,  plays  havoc  with 
fraternity,  and  sets  a  soul  in  poverty  before  its  God. 
Study  this. 

(b)  Characterize  this  teaching.  Can  it  compromise 
or  relent?  Does  it  fit  this  case?  Is  it  widely  apt?  Or, 
would  it  mostly  be  out  of  place? 

(c)  How  about  its  thoroughness?  He  is  really  deal- 
ing with  matters  of  life  and  death.  Would  you  have 
detected  this  in  that  brother's  simple  request  ? 

(d)  Christ  introduced  the  word  "covetousness."  The 
brother  introduced  the  fact.  Thus  Christ  uncovers, 
brings  to  the  eye  essentials  which  our  eyes  are  prone  to 
overlook. 

(e)  See  the  Master's  mighty  boldness.  He  stands 
squarely  across  the  path  of  one  of  the  most  eager  and 
far-spread  passions  of  human  life — the  greed  for  goods. 

(f)  Note  the  fire  of  Jesus'  jealousy  for  spiritual  life 
and  growth.  Measure  his  strenuousness  against  the  earn- 
estness of  greed. 

(g)  Define  the  skill  demanded  in  any  practical  hand- 
ling of  greed. 


The  Master  Teacher  49 


LESSON  X. 

The   Logic  of  Trust. 

Luke  12  :  22-30. 

1.  The  occasion.  Keep  in  mind  those  two  brothers 
quarreling  over  their  father's  estate.  Carefully  review 
the  parable  of  the  prospered,  glutton-farmer.  Stay  by 
that  parable  until  the  Master's  ardent  soul  enkindles 
you.  But  do  not  fail  to  understand  the  tremendous 
difference  in  the  Saviour's  outlook.  When  fashioning 
that  parable  of  the  "Rich  fool,"  he  was  trying  to  break 
down  a  man's  excessive  greed  for  perishing  things.  In 
this  succeeding  paragraph  the  Lord  is  fully  recognizing 
every  man's  physical  need,  and  arguing  most  carefully 
to  show  how  all  our  bodily  wants  are  in  the  open  circle 
of  God's  intelligent  care.  The  two  lessons  need  con- 
ning together. 

2.  Arguments  for  trusting  God  for  bodily  needs.  As 
men  face  ceaseless  calls  for  food  and  clothes,  their  souls 
become  commonly  distraught.  They  are  prone  to  fret 
away  their  peace.  But  all  that  worry  is  vain.  And  it 
has  no  ground.    Men  should  live  in  Godly  trust. 

(a)  The  "life"  is  more  than  "meat."  The  "body"  is 
more  than  "raiment."  Here  is  a  mighty  argument.  It 
finely  illustrates  a  prevalent  quality  in  Jesus'  teaching 
art.  He  goes  to  the  roots.  Pursue  his  thought.  You 
who  sweat  and  haste  and  fret  in  face  of  hunger  for  fear 
that  food  will  fail,  think  of  your  body,  of  your  being, 
your  life.  This  is  the  fundamental  thing.  But  this  is 
no  product  of  your  anxiety  and  toil.  It  is  the  handi- 
work of  God.  He  creates  man's  body.  Here  he  holds 
an  absolute  monopoly.  Think  into  this.  No  mortal 
can  by  any  expense  of  carefulness  spin  a  single  nerve, 
or  kindle  in  the  living  eye  a  single  flash  of  light.  But 
God  can  carve  the  shoulder,  mould  the  thigh,  build  up 


5©  Teacher-Trajning  with 

the  neck,  design  the  head,  expand  the  lungs,  coil  up  the 
tireless  muscles  of  the  heart,  weave  the  tingling  nerves, 
lay  channels  everywhere  for  tides  of  vital  blood,  teach 
every  organ  when  to  call  for  food,  when  to  say  enough, 
how  to  deal  with  waste,  when  to  wake  to  effort,  when  to 
sink  to  rest.  God,  and  God  alone,  builds  up  and  finishes 
the  human  frame.  Its  stature  and  symmetry  are  all 
designed  by  him.  The  wisest,  mightiest  man  is  too 
weak  and  ignorant  to  cleave  and  double  a  single  cell. 
Man  can  never  build  an  eye,  nor  plant  an  ear.  God  does 
it  all.  Such  is  your  body ;  such  your  life.  He  who 
employs  such  transcendent  skill  and  might  to  frame  the 
marvellous  complex  of  the  human  frame,  will  surely  lay 
within  easy  reach  all  suitable  attire,  and  reward  all 
worthy  toil  with  convenient  food. 

(b)  God  feeds  the  birds  that  neither  sow  nor  reap 
nor  own  a  single  barn.  From  cankering  care  their  little^ 
lives  are  wholly  free.  They  never  hoard ;  but  they  never- 
fret  or  fear.  The  distant  day  and  the  distant  need  lie 
all  beyond  their  ken.  They  never  know  what  anxious, 
worry  is.  Each  day,  though  filled  with  busy  search,,  is 
also  filled  with  song.  They  are  lively  messengers  to 
men  of  lifelong,  unflecked  happiness  imder  the  sleep- 
less thoughtfulness  of  God.  The  Father  ever  feedeth 
them.  But  men  outrank  the  birds.  Then  men  should 
pease  to  fret,  and  learn  to  trust  in  God. 

(c)  God  decks  each  lily  in  the  field,  though  they 
never  sow,  and  never '  spin.  And  when  the  heaver^y; 
work  is  done,  no  earthly  robe,  not  even  Solomon's,,  can: 
match  their  web  or  hue.  And  yet  their  bloom  and  text- 
ure fade  and  perish  in  a  day.  But  man  outrai^s,  and 
far  outlasts  the  grass.  Far  more  surely  th.e-n  will  he^ 
have  beautiful  attire.  Most  surely,  then,  should  each: 
immortal  child  of  God  forego  to  fret  lest  he  should  gO) 
unclad. 

(d)  To  fret  is  futile  anyway.  Try  it.  Try  it  m  the- 
matter  of  your  size,  your  height,  the  fixed  destiny  of 
your  days.  Add  one  cubit,  if  you  can.  It  is  all  beyond 
your  hand.  It  has  all  been  fixed  by  God.  If  now,  in 
such  rudiments,  you  are  totally  impotent,  why  do  you 
become  distraught  in  things  that  will  surely  ensue? 


The  Master  Teacher  5/ 

(e)  Then,  finally,  he  who  feeds  the  birds,  and  beau- 
tifies the  fields,  and  knits  your  frame,  and  sets  the 
number  of  your  days,  is  not  a  cold,  far-ofif,  unheeding 
Lord.  He  is  your  Father.  You  have  a  first-hand  title 
to  his  faithfulness.  Make  room  for  this.  He  is  your 
Father,  omnipotent,  affectionate,  all-wise.  Cast  all  your 
care  on  him. 

3.  Studies.  Here  is  a  masterly  illustration  of  Christ's 
teaching  skill.  Keep  in  mind  the  background : — those 
unfraternal  brothers;  that  feasting,  lazy  fool,  summoned 
suddenly  to  his  tomb ;  the  universal  anxiousness  of  men 
about  far-distant  needs.  In  all  those  scenes  he  sees  a 
beautiful,  deathless  soul  of  a  precious  child  of  God 
stifled  and  submerged  by  waves  of  wicked  worldliness. 
He  longs  to  lift  it  out  and  give  it  light  and  air  and  lib- 
erty. Closely  watch,  as  he  unclusters  the  twisted  coils 
of  care,  unclasps  the  troublesome  grip  of  fear,  unseats 
the  rule  of  greed,  and  sets  the  spirit  free  to  live,  prima- 
rily and  without  restraint,  for  God. 

(a)  See  how  he  limits  his  round  of  thought  to  dress 
and  food.  What  do  you  think  of  this?  Has  he  included 
within  these  two  all  essential  grounds  of  care?  Or  was 
it  his  aim  to  mention  those  most  fundamental?  Or 
would  he  design  these  tw^o  to  illustrate  some  numerous 
list  of  proper  needs  and  likely  cares?  Is  the  force  of  his 
thought  all  the  same,  whatever  way  you  answer  these 
three  questions?  Bring  your  mind  to  answer  this.  It  is 
essential,  before  you  begin  to  teach  with  independent 
mind  upon  this  theme. 

(b)  How  general  is  the  fault  which  Christ  here 
assails?    Are  you  likely  to  meet  it  nowadays? 

(c)  Study  the  form  of  his  teaching.  Is  it  Syrian, 
or  local,  or  any  way  antique?  Or  is  it  as  truly  Ameri- 
can, world-plain,  and  up-to-date?  Can  you  separate 
form  from  substance  here? 

(d)  What  do  you  think  of  the  teaching  value  of  his 
use  of  birds  and  grass?  Could  you  frame  his  argument, 
and  leave  them  out  ?  Where  lies  the  logic  of  that  "much 
more"  ?  Is  there  any  meaning  in  the  fact  that  flowers  and 
birds  are  incapable  of  anxiety?  Upon  what  does  the  argu- 
ment rest,  their  care-free  nature  or  their  lesser  worth? 


5-2  Teacher 'Training  loHh 

(e)  Now  draw  out  the  actual  thread  of  Jesus'  argu- 
ment.    Can  you  frame  it  into  a  syllogism  ? 

(£)  He  takes  it  for  granted  that  God  feeds  the  birds. 
Do  you  agree?  If  not,  why  not?  Does  your  Father 
clothe  the  grass?  Are  your  convictions  here  as  clear 
and  calm  as  Christ's?  If  not,  can  you  hope  to  teach 
like  him? 

(g)  What  is  Jesus'  estimate  of  man,  as  uncovered 
here?  Is  his  aim  here  to  restrict,  or  to  exalt  our  life? 
Look  into  that  allusion  to  Solomon's  attire.  It  was 
surely  glorious.  But  it  was  eclipsed  by  the  finer  beauty 
of  the  swiftly  fading  fields.  And  we  outrank  the 
grass.  Think  carefully  here.  Just  what  is  Jesus' 
thought?  What  is  the  grade  of  the  human  ideal  which 
inspires  and  moulds  his  teaching  art?  What  would  he 
have  us  do  with  a  sainted  father's  goods?  How  would 
he  have  a  wealthy  farmer  live?  Do  not  lazily  refuse  to 
think.  Does  your  ideal  of  man  have  equal  clearness, 
beauty  and  worth  with  Christ's?  What  bearing  has 
this  upon  your  teaching? 


The   Master  Teacher  5J 


LESSON  XI. 

Meaning  of  a  Meal  with  a  Publican. 

Luke  5  :  27-32. 

1.  Gather  together  all  Gospel  allusions  to  publicans. 
Define,  as  nearly  as  ydu  can,  their  occupation.  Form  an 
idea  of  the  sort  of  man  most  likely  to  get  into  such  a  line 
of  work.  Imagine  the  manners  and  methods  of  such 
officials,  as  they  go  about  their  duties.  Think  how  their 
employment  would  react  upon  their  character.  Try  and 
describe  somewhat  minutely  a  typical  publican.  He 
would  be  a  cold,  hard,  shrewd,  powerful,  strong-willed, 
coin-loving  deputy  and  domineer,  versed  in  law,  quick 
to  scent  evasion,  well-practiced  in  a  bitter  role  of  rigid 
words.  To  the  Jews,  from  whom  he  wrested  funds,  he 
would  seem  a  despicable  traitor  "and  a  soulless  leach, 
draining  the  veins  of  Palestine  to  feed  the  strength  of 
Rome.  They  stood  for  the  righteousness  of  Roman 
rule ;  won  honor  out  of  Jewish  shame ;  and  rioted  in 
their  country's  defeat.  They  were  hence  hotly  despised, 
and  barred  from  social  standing  among  good  and  loyal 
Jews. 

2.  The  Saviour's  attitude.  For  the  study  of  Jesus' 
position  towards  the  publicans  this  lesson  is  a  classic.  It 
is  a  signal  case  of  teaching  by  example.  It  is  worth 
your  choicest  thought. 

(a)  He  calls  Matthew  to  the  Apostolate.  Ponder 
this  well.  A  publican  among  the  apostles  !  That  simple, 
single  fact,  standing  out  in  open  sight,  wherever  Jesus 
led  his  train,  though  not  a  w^ord  of  comment  or  explana- 
tion should  leave  the  IVIaster's  lips,  would  publish  a  well- 
read  volume  of  weighty  truth.  Here  alone  is  a  price- 
less hint  for  teachers.  Think  here  of  Jesus'  unspoken 
thoughts.  Honor  this  suggestion.  Write  out  what  you 
feel  sure  Jesus  meant. 


54  Teacher-Training  with 

(b)  Such  a  fact  as  Matthew's  plain  discipleship  of 
Christ  could  not  avoid  grave  sequels.  Matthew  would 
have  his  friends.  Matthew  would  have  his  influence. 
The  Master's  word  to  him  was  a  summons  to  be  leader 
of  a  long-drawn  file  of  his  familiars.  Jesus  soon  found 
himself  adjudged  a  "friend  of  publicans."  Think  well  of 
this.  Think  of  it  as  Matthew  felt  it,  and  as  it  was  hailed 
and  cherished  by  his  publican  friends.  Here  is  vital 
teaching  vitally  at  work.  Study  to  see  its  art.  Search 
to  find  its  power. 

(c)  See  its  most  natural  development,  when  Matthew 
makes  a  feast.  Command  some  leisure  here  and  do  some 
studying.  What  would  Matthew's  primary  motive  be? 
Doubtless  to  honor  Christ.  But  see  that  friendly  motive 
work.  It  makes  the  feast  stand  thick  with  publicans. 
But  scarcely  anything  could  happen  more  certain  to  set 
the  Saviour  in  reproach !  Now  study  this.  Study  it 
from  Matthew's  point  of  view.  Study  it  from  the 
Saviour's.  Study  it  as  it  would  seem  to  those  respect- 
ful publican  guests.  What  has  Jesus  done?  Most  clear 
instruction  is  surely  well  afoot.  But,  state  with  good 
precision,  just  what  does  this  wordless  lesson  containf 
Can  you  tell .''     Will  you  ? 

(d)  Follow  up  this  last  inquiry.  Examine  the 
Master  here.  He  does  not  decline  the  feast.  Of  course 
not.  He  cannot.  But  what  results?  He  merges  in  their 
life  his  full  identity.  Here  is  a  matter  j'ou  do  well  to 
ponder.  Think  oi  the  meaning  of  an  oriental  feast. 
Think  then  of  the  Saviour's  genuineness.  Enter  deeply 
into  this.  Where  did  Jesus  place  himself  by  this  simple 
act?  How  would  it  be  understood?  What  would  all 
onlookers  surely  learn?  Now  see  Jesus  enter  fully  in, 
and  nobly  take  his  proper  place  in  this  glad,  festal  fel- 
lowship. With  what  profound  appreciation  of  the  mean- 
ing of  his  courtly  act  does  he  recline  where  Matthew 
leads,  a  courtly  publican  on  either  hand !  Think  of  the 
quiet  beauty  of  that  act.  Surely  here  is  an  open  procla- 
mation of  the  Saviour's  mind.  Now  can  you  declare 
how  fully  this  gracious  deed  voices  all  the  burden  of  the 
Saviour's  heart?  Is  this  a  fitting  question  tight  here? 
Can  you  fittingly  decline  to  employ  your  nicest  art  to 


The   Master  Teacher 


55 


fashion  a  deeply  respectful  reply?  It  may  lead  yon 
closer  than  you  think  to  the  very  marrow  of  the  message, 
and  the  very  genius  of  the  teaching  art  of  Christ. 

3.  But  now,  that  criticism  (v.  30).  Look  into  it  well. 
At  exactly  what  does  it  strike? 

(a)  Be  as  precise  as  you  wish.  Note  its  very  terms  : 
"Why  do  you  eat  and  drink  with  publicans  and  sinners?" 
Eating  with  men !  Work  into  this.  Can  you  name  any 
human  act  more  primarily  human  and  everlastingly 
proper  than  this?  Dismiss  your  other  engagements  and 
bide  awhile  just  here.  Jesus  ate  with  publicans.  On 
any  ground,  by  any  code,  can  you  define  any  flavor  of 
impropriety  here?  But  to  these  scribes  and  pharisees 
there  was  some  trespass  of  good  decorum  in  Jesus'  act. 
Now  take  their  place  and  make  accurate  explanation  of 
their  offense.  Keep  strictly  to  Christ's  act — eating  with 
his  fellow-men.  The  problem  here  may  be  more  difficult 
than  you  think.  But  solve  it.  What  ailed  those  phari- 
sees? Do  not  frame  your  answer  negligently.  Be 
closely  minute  and  fit  your  answer  to  the  actual  case — 
Jesus  eating  with  his  fellow-men.  Many  copartnerships 
with  men  are  wrong.  But  eating  with  them — where  is 
the  fault  in  that? 

(b)  Those  pharisees  and  scribes  would  have  set  the 
Master  and  those  publicans  decisively  apart.  They 
would  have  blocked  his  going  in.  All  festal  fellowship 
they  would  have  denied.  They  would  have  built  up  im- 
passable barricades  and  issued  rigid  rules  of  caste  and 
class  partition.  Stated  positively,  this  is  their  code. 
Now  are  you  disposed  to  look  down  into  this?  Get  in 
sight  of  their  interior  thought.  Point  out  their  social 
principles.  It  is  worth  your  while.  Put  it  this  way: 
just  what  did  Jesus  override,  when  he  broke  bread  with 
men  called  publicans?  What  issues  on  either  side  are 
here  at  stake? 

(c)  They  overlooked  Matthew's  discipleship.  Jesus 
called  the  man  to  follow  him.  What  lay  in  that  appeal? 
Matthew  openly,  instantly  obeyed.  What  lay  in  that 
response?  To  this  these  critics  paid  no  heed.  That  was 
a  fatal,  shameful  oversight.  Jesus  was  blameless  and 
holy.    Matthew,  in  admiring  love,  left  all  to  follow  him. 


5  6  Teacher -Training  with 

He  was  the  Saviour's  devotee.  This  feast  was  a  princely 
token  of  his  affectionate  respect.  Think  for  a  little  of 
the  stupid  rudeness  of  these  scribes. 

(d)  Think  somewhat  similarly  of  their  brutal  heed- 
lessness of  the  tender  love  of  Christ  in  this  onslaught 
on  that  feast.  Their  act  was  more  uncivil  than  they 
knew. 

4.  Jesus'  answer,  (a)  Note  the  figure — a  physician. 
Did  you  ever  try  to  see  just  what  qualities,  peculiar  to  a 
physician,  belong  to  Christ?  Look  into  this.  Then 
look  further.  Wherein  does  Christ,  as  a  physician, 
transcend  all  other  members  of  that  class? 

(b)  The  sick.  Were  you  ever  "sick"?  Can  you 
sympathize  just  here  like  Christ?  How  deep  and  true 
and  broad  is  his  compassion  ?  How  broad  is  the  word 
itself?  Imagine  a  publican  and  a  pharisee,  both  sick. 
What  would  be  the  difference — in  the  eye  of  the  phari- 
see ;  in  the  eye  of  the  publican  ;  in  the  eye  of  Christ ;  in 
factf  How  apt  a  form  of  answer  is  this?  How  ade- 
quate is  it?  But  the  allusion  is  of  course  to  "sin."  Put 
this  word  in  each  question  above. 

(c)  Repentance.  Here  is  a  trenchant  thrust.  It 
points  straight  to  wrong-doing.  It  probes  towards  con- 
science. It  signals  a  prime  duty.  It  invites  towards 
righteousness.  Frame  a  list  of  questions  like  those 
above  with  "repentance"  in  their  midst. 

5.  Teaching  hints. 

(a)  Bearing  in  mind  the  breadth  of  Christ's  mercy, 
define  the  part  that  Matthew  had  in  making  Christ's 
message  known.  Wherein  did  he  and  Christ  co-operate? 
Wherein  did  Matthew  stand  original  and  alone  in  pub- 
lishing, by  the  fellowship  of  this  feast,  Christ's  love? 

(b)  Name  some  of  the  special  values  of  a  feast,  as  a 
teaching  aid. 

(c)  Think  of  Christ's  teaching  aims,  when  he  chose 
Matthew.  What  could  he  do  as  teacher  under  Christ, 
that  others  could  not  do  so  well  ? 

(d)  Compute  the  difficulty  of  broadening  a  narrow 
man,  of  conciliating  a  prejudiced  man,  of  humbling  a 
lofty  man,  of  winning  to  repentance  a  self-righteous 
man. 


The  Master  Teacher  57 


LESSON  XII. 

True  Food  for  Immortals. 

John  6  :  26-58. 

I.  The  Case,  (a)  Make  an  orderly  list  of  the  events. 
Jesus  had  wrought  the  wonder  of  feeding  the  5000  men 
with  five  loaves.  They  set  out  to  make  him  king. 
Repulsed  in  this,  they  seek  his  presence  and  court  his 
favor  the  following  day.  He  upbraids  them  for  blind- 
ness to  the  meaning  of  his  work,  accuses  them  of  carnal 
greed,  and  counsels  them  to  do  the  "work"  of  faith  in 
him  as  the  messenger  of  God  (vv.  26-27).  They  ask 
him  for  a  sign  to  prove  his  right  to  speak  for  God,  a 
sign  to  match  the  manna  Moses  had  (v.  30).  When 
Christ  denied  to  the  manna  any  heavenly  origin  or  the 
power  of  life,  and  proffered  himself  as  life-giving  bread 
from  heaven,  in  one  breath  they  called  to  be  fed  with 
such  bread  (v.  34)  ;  and  in  the  next  they  fell  to  mur- 
muring at  his  heavenly  claim  (v.  41),  and  prated  about 
their  full  acquaintance  with  Joseph  and  his  mother  (v. 
42).  Then,  when  Jesus  chided  them,  and  cited  the  death 
of  all  the  fathers,  despite  the  manna  (v.  49),  and  re- 
avowed  his  heavenly  origin,  and  roundly  renewed  the 
claim  that  his  flesh  was  the  very  bread  of  life,  the  multi- 
tude, finding  their  stomachs  still  unfed,  disowned  his 
lead,  and  many  of  his  disciples  took  offense  and  turned 
apostate  (v.  66). 

(b)  Here  are  grievous  errors.  Can  you  list  them? 
They  missed  the  meaning  of  the  miracle  of  the  loaves. 
They  blundered  about  the  manna.  They  were  stupidly 
dull  to  Jesus'  hint  about  God's  "work"  (v.  29),  and 
"this"  bread  (v.  34).  They  had  no  eye  to  see  into  his 
heavenly  origin.  They  had  only  carnal  views  about  his 
parentage.  His  talk  about  his  "flesh"  as  food  was  to 
their    intellects    only    an    annoying   puzzle.      A    hungry 


5<S  Teacher-Training  icith 

stomach,  a  physical  lineage,  a  palpable  sign — here  are  the 
center  and  circuit  of  their  lives.  Around  such  a  low 
arena  their  carnal  notions  jogged. 

(c)  Here  is  the  Master's  task.  His  thoughts  were 
pure,  spiritual,  heavenly.  He  was  trying  to  teach  the 
deathless  sons  of  God  to  cherish  undying,  undecaying 
things.  And  to  accomplish  this  he  was  always  proposing 
himself.  In  him  the  immortal  spirit  reigned  supreme. 
In  him  was  eternal  life. 

But  these  people  were  absolutely  gross,  unheavenly, 
unrefined.  Their  clamor  was  only  for  things  they  could 
forthwith  see  and  feel  and  eat.  Now  what  must  Jesus 
do?  This  is  no  light  question.  Men  are  pitifully  un- 
heavenly. This  is  the  rule.  And  in  just  this  scene 
comes  up  the  sharpest  crisis  in  Jesus'  life.  It  is  at  once 
an  acute,  and  a  representative  case.  Wise  would-be 
teachers  will  scan  his  course. 

2.  Jesus'  method,  (a)  He  forces  the  issue.  It  could 
have  been  avoided.  He  might  have  fed  that  crowd 
again.  This  fact  is  pregnant.  Study  into  the  Master's 
wisdom.  What  was  his  theory  of  teaching,  as  shown  by 
this?  What  was  his  aim?  Do  you  see  that  this  last  is 
the  primary  question  ?    Look  into  this. 

(b)  He  makes  the  issue  sharp  at  the  start.  Study 
V.  26.    Do  you  commend  this  ? 

(c)  He  pointed  to  an  inner  meaning  in  that  miracle 
of  loaves.  Study  v.  26  again.  "Not  because  ye  saw 
signs" — what  does  this  mean?  Those  people  missed 
something.  Will  you  digest  this?  It  has  big  meaning 
for  teachers. 

(d)  He  reminds  them  that  yesterday's  bread  was 
"perishing."  You  call  this  a  homely  commonplace.  But 
wait.  What  brought  that  multitude  a  second  day? 
Void  stomachs.  That  was  all.  Will  you  linger  here? 
By  what  motives  are  the  multitudes  moved?  Do  you 
care  to  term  this  a  slight  affair  for  teachers? 

(e)  He  speaks  of  "meat"  that  "endureth"  (v.  27). 
Do  you  feel  the  weight  and  poin<^  of  this?  It  is  the 
key  and  pivot  of  the  whole  discourse.  It  is  the  central 
burden  of  the  Master's  talk  and  work.  And  this  chap- 
ter is  a  royal  place  to  study  it.     It  has  infinite  meaning 


The   Master  Teacher  59 

for  all  who  teach  for  Christ.  Was  it  wisely  mentioned 
to  such  a  crowd  ?  This  is  a  sovereign  question.  To 
slight  it  is  to  treat  weightiest  things  as  trivial. 

(f)  He  bids  them  "work"  for  this  "abiding"  food. 
And  when  they  blindly  question  what  he  means,  he 
urges  "faith"  in  him  whom  heaven  sent.  Will  you  bal- 
ance those  two  words,  "work"  and  "faith"?  Do  they 
mean  alike  ?  What  do  they  mean  ?  Read  those  verses 
(28-29)  over  and  over.  The  "work."  the  "faith,"  the 
"sealed,"  the  "sent,"  the  "eternal  life."  They  all  con- 
verge in  Christ.  And  in  him  the  essential  element  is 
"life."  And  this  "life"  he  sets  in  definite  contrast  with 
"perishing"  food.  "Life"  in  Christ,  against  "decaying" 
food.  This  is  all.  But  could  they  comprehend  that 
"life"?  Can  you?  This  is  just  the  point.  Do  you  really 
see  it?  There  is  nothing  else  in  the  whole  chapter.  Can 
you  show  it?  If  you  can,  you  have  gone  far  to  compre- 
hend all  Jesus  ever  did  or  said.  Here  is  something 
straight.    Are  you,  as  a  teacher,  ready  to  face  it  ? 

(g)  Now  the  talk  takes  a  momentous  turn.  It 
exactly  fits  those  men.  But  for  the  thought  of  Christ 
the  misfit  is  complete.  They  ask  a  "sign" ;  and  to  sup- 
port their  claim  they  cite  the  manna.  If  you  know  your 
day.  here  is  something  you  will  mark.  Christ  is  hand- 
ling invisible  things.  Rehearse  them.  He  makes  high 
claims..  To  win  our  "faith"  in  things  like  that,  he 
should  offer  in  evidence  solid  proof,  something  open  to 
our  outer  eye,  something  like  the  manna  Moses  had.  So 
these  men  retort.  Now  ponder  this.  It  leads  to  the 
very  pith  and  point  of  the  whole  stupendous  debate. 

(h)  Jesus  declines.  Now  watch  his  argument.  First. 
he  denies  that  the  manna  came  from  heaven  (v.  2>~)- 
Then,  all  who  ate  of  it  died  (v.  49).  It  was  itself  a 
decaying  thing.  It  had  to  be  daily  renewed.  Hunger 
daily  recurred.  It  and  all  who  ate  it  have  perished  from 
the  earth.  Just  so  with  the  five  loaves  yesterday.  All 
such  food  "perishes."  It  is  not  the  bread  of  "life."  Such 
perishing  "signs"  in  such  a  perishing  realm  are  not  suffi- 
cient to  embody  evidence  of  the  "eternal  life"  that  wells 
in  me.  For  this  you  need  a  different  eye,  a  different 
sense,  a  different  evidence. 


6o  Teacher-Trammg  loith 

(i)  Ahd  then  he  proffers  himself  again  (v.  32),  and 
again  (v.  35),  and  again  (v.  40),  and  again  (v.  44),  and 
again  (v.  48),  and  again  (v.  51),  and  again  (v.  54),  as 
the  imperishable  food  of  imperishable  souls,  nourishing 
them  to  "eternal  life."  His  "sign"  is  himself,  the 
heaven-born,  heaven-sealed,  imperishable,  life-giving 
and  ultimate  Saviour  of  the  world.  Will  you  take  the 
honest  pains  to  read  these  cited  verses  and  all  that  inter- 
venes, and  make  minutest  mention  of  the  Saviour's  every 
form  of  speech?  And  then  will  you  con  them  over  and 
over,  until  you  clearly  see  how  fully  they  all  agree  in 
one?  You  could  do  no  better  work,  if  you  really  wish 
to  worthily  teach.  Feel  your  way  into  his  inmost  wish. 
Then  see  how  varied  is  his  form  of  words.  Thus  mark 
the  "what"  and  the  "how"  of  his  heavenly  art. 

3.  Estimates. 

(a)  Define  again  the  nature  of  this  debate.  What 
is  up? 

(b)  Is  this  same  discussion  widely  agog  to-day? 
What  are  its  themes  and  forms? 

(c)  Just  what  value  have  the  miracles  of  the  manna 
and  the  loaves? 

(d)  Define  some  evidence  or  "sign"  of  eternal  life 
that  will  be  complete?  •  Was  it  accessible  in  that  scene? 

(e)  Keeping  in  mind  Jesus'  inner  thought,  did  that 
multitude,  standing  as  they  did  in  Jesus'  immediate  pres- 
ence, have  any  advantage  over  us?  Do  you  deem  this 
question  worth  your  while?  Will  you  give  it  what  you 
deem  its  due  respect? 

(f)  Do  you  think  it  was  possible  to  win  those  men 
to  the  Saviour's  point  of  view? 

(g)  This  marks  a  serious  crisis  in  the  Master's  life. 
Christ  being  what  he  is,  is  such  a  scene  avoidable? 

(h)  What  teaching  "qualities  are  outstanding  here? 
He  adhered  to  things  spiritual,  eternal,  heavenly.  Do 
these  three  terms  point  out  teaching  traits?  Do  they 
point  to  three  f    Name  others. 


The   Master  Teacher 


LESSON  XIII. 

Ethics  and  Etiquette:  Which  Holds  Primacy? 

Mark  7  :  1-23. 

1.  Study  vv.  1-5.  The  case  in  hand  is  the  Jewish 
habit  of  washing  hands.  This  is  a  formality  upon  which 
they  insist,  before  ever  they  eat.  This  custom  is  one  of 
a  large  class.  It  has  come  down  to  them  from  their 
fathers  as  a  traditional  rule.  This  rule  certain  of 
Christ's  followers  ignored.  This  seemed  to  certain 
Pharisees  and  scribes  a  reproachable  neglect.  They  make 
the  matter  the  subject  of  a  complaint  to  Christ.  This 
is  the  incident  in  particular.  But  it  is  typical.  Gather 
from  the  Gospels  other  illustrations  of  strict  formalism. 
Try  to  find  their  point  of  view.  How  do  such  formalities 
get  to  be  habitual?  Then  how  do  they  become  so  strin- 
gent? Try  to  enter  into  this.  Such  regnant  customs 
have  their  grounds. 

(a)  Examine  the  relation  of  formality  to  tradition. 
This  rule  about  washing  hands  came  down  to  them  from 
the  "elders."  It  had  authority.  It  bound.  It  had 
become  a  duty.  It  was  a  moral  obligation.  Neglect  was 
an  immorality.     This  was  their  point  of  view. 

(b)  Examine  the  outcome  of  this  view  of  life.  It 
supplanted  true  morality.  Intent  upon  outer  forms,  it 
lost  sight  of  inner  qualities. 

(c)  It  led  up  to  a  quarrel  with  Christ.  They  impli- 
cated him  in  blame.  They  did  not  shrink  from  challeng- 
ing him  by  direct  assault. 

2.  Now  study  vv.  6-8.  Here  stands  Christ's  first 
reply.  Look  closely  to  his  interpretation  of  their  view  of 
life. 

(a)  He  charges  up  hypocrisy.  Study  those  words 
from  Isaiah.  It  deals  with  verbal  honor,  and  absent 
hearts  in  their  attitude  towards  God.     "Words"  abound, 


62  Teacher-Training  with 

but  the  heart  is  not  in  them !  And  this,  when  addressing 
God !  Here  is  a  pungent  retort.  Why  did  he  set  in 
with  such  severity?  What  were  they  at?  Do  not  dis- 
miss this  question.  It  leads  near  to  the  heart  of  the 
teaching  art.  Were  his  inquirers  hypocrites?  Was  his 
answer   apt? 

(b)  Now  look  again.  Read  vv.  7-8.  His  central 
thought  is  human  rules.  These  people  revere  men's  tra- 
ditions. This  manward  habit  of  respect  is  so  dominant 
that  God's  law  is  spurned  and  his  worship  becomes 
inane.  Mark  this.  As  the  Lord  goes  on,  he  does  not 
become  more  mild.  His  words  are  yet  more  trenchant 
and  severe.  Bring  up  again  those  questions  asked  above. 
Ask  and  answer  every  one. 

(c)  Now  describe  these  pharisees  as  they  stand  re- 
flected in  the  Lord's  reply.  They  are  wordy,  heartless 
hypocrites,  adoring  God  with  empty  phrase,  abjuring 
his  holy  law,  adhering  instead  with  mimic  reverence  to 
hoary  injunctions  of  men.  This  is  bitterly  cruel,-  if 
undeserved.  Read  the  whole  scene  again.  Who  are 
these  men  ?  What  are  they  designing  to  effect  ?  Keep 
at  this  until  your  answer,  in  some  sort,  grows  clear.  \n 
any  case  note  two  essential  signs :  They  are  making  a 
drive  at  Christ ;  who  are  the  men  that  would  be  apt  to 
be  up  to  the  like  of  that?  And  the  center  of  their  con- 
cern is  a  matter  of  washing  hands ;  what  sort  of  men 
would  be  apt  to  be  exercised  about  the  like  of  that? 
Think  well  into  this.  Describe  the  difference  between 
these  men  and  Christ.  They  scan  hands,  cite  human 
rules,  and  make  light  of  God.  He  scans  hearts,  cites  the 
divine  law,  and  brings  God  to  the  front.  Follow  this 
out. 

3.  Now  study  vv.  9-13.  Christ  has  set  the  battle. 
Now  he  drives  it  to  the  gates. 

(a)  He  cites  the  law  of  God,  that  men  should  honor 
parents.  Then  he  quotes  their  custom,  which  makes  that 
ordinance  null.  Then  he  adds,  "many,  such  like  things 
ye  do."  Now  what  is  the  Master's  aim?  Thus  far  he 
has  scored  hypocrisy  and  such  respect  for  human  rules  as 
uncrowns  the  law  of  God,  but  citing  no  definite  case. 
Now  he  brings  in  an  illustration.    But  mark  it  narrowly. 


The  Master  Teacher  6j 

It  illustrates  just  w/iatf  Study  it  and  frame  a  careful 
answer.  It  is  worth  your  while.  Then,  having  accu- 
rately fixed  its  aim,  will  you  estimate  its  force f  As  an 
illustration,  how  powerfully  does  it  tellf  First  mark  its 
point.  Then  measure  its  power.  In  fact  it  is  a  most 
flagrant  case  of  perversion  of  moral  life.  Children,  by  a 
trick  of  words,  may  impoverish  their  parents!  This  is 
one  of  their  much  revered  "traditions."  But  however 
hoary  or  reverend,  to  any  man  of  any  filial  sense,  of  any 
moral  honesty,  with  any  true  respect  for  God,  such  a 
rule  as  that  excites  nothing  but  intense  abhorrence.  To 
such  an  issue  Jesus  leads  their  case. 

(b)  Now  think.  The  discussion  opened  over  un- 
washed hands.  It  closes  over  unfilial  sons.  Ponder  this. 
How  has  this  transition  come  about?  Just  how?  Track 
the  conversation  through.  Find  its  explanation.  Detect 
its  art.  Where  does  its  secret  lie?  Think  again.  Are 
those  unclean  hands  and  those  unkind  sons,  after  all,  so 
far  apart  in  this  line  of  thought?  Can  you  show  how 
the  former  leads  to  the  latter — in  the  thought  of  Christ? 
Try  this.  It  may  unlimber  your  teaching  talent  more 
than  you  suspect. 

(c)  And  now  think  again.  Those  critics  aimed  to 
make  a  point.  Has  Jesus  left  or  held  that  point  ?  Have 
positions  shifted?  Their  onslaught  aimed  at  what?  It 
has  issued  where? 

And  wherein  lies  the  Saviour's  mastery?  Has  he 
a  nimbler  skill?  Or  is  his  insight  keener?  Or  is  he 
more  shrewd  in  dialectics?  Or  is  it  after  all  nothing 
other  than  undisguised  straightforwardness?  And  as 
the  issue  clears,  which  party  shows  the  truer  moral 
sense?  State,  about  as  the  critics  would,  the  sum  and 
force  of  their  moral  assumption,  as  they  entered  this 
little  affray.  Then  state  your  own  estimate  of  how  those 
moral  assumptions  were  bedraggled  at  the  end. 

(d)  Think  through  this  all  again,  to  see  how  resist- 
less the  Saviour  is.  And  observe  where  his  power  lay. 
It  was  all  and  wholly  due  to  his  pure,  pristine,  undamp- 
ened  moral  sense.  This  made  him  quick.  This  made 
him  strong.     This  made  him  keen. 

4.  Master,  vv.   14-23.      (a)    Observe  Christ's  strenu- 


64  Teacher'Training  with 

ousness.  He  calls  the  throng  up  to  him  "again."  Get 
a  sense  of  his  eagerness.  Name  other  signs  of  it  here. 
What  does  it  mean?     What  value  has  it  for  a  teacher? 

(b)  Mark  that  epigram  in  v.  15.  It  puts  the  whole 
contention  in  a  nutshell.  Do  you  see  its  two  themes — 
physics  and  ethics  ?  Do  you  really  see  this,  as  the  Master 
saw  it?  It  is  really  very  homely.  But  that  man  who 
sees  and  feels  and  voices  the  sentiment  that  same 
homely  epigram  contains,  as  Jesus  did,  has  attained  to 
high  and  rare  refinement  in  the  art  of  teaching  men. 
That  simple  verse  is  vast  with  meaning.  Men  are  rigid 
with  their  rules  as  to  how  they  eat;  but  they  are  reckless 
as  to  how  they  talk. 

(c)  But  the  very  disciples  failed  to  understand.  Be 
wary  here.  But  be  plain.  The  best  of  teachers  in  their 
plainest  statements  may  have  to  reiterate  and  explain. 
Few  scenes  are  more  illuminating  than  this  for  an  honest 
teacher's  open  eye. 

5.  Teaching  hints. 

(a)  Isaiah  and  Jesus  faced  cases  closely  alike.  Is 
this  an  accident? 

(b)  Think  what  it  means  to  be  a  hypocrite. 

(c)  Think  what  it  means  to  put  etiquette  above 
ethics. 

(d)  Think  of  the  possibility  in  the  human  heart  for 
defilement. 

(e)  Think  how  obtuse  a  man  can  be. 

(f )  State  precisely  the  bearing  of  all  this  on  teaching. 


The  Master  Teacher  6^ 


LESSON  XIV. 

True  Candidates  for  Majesty. 

Matt.  i8  :  i-6. 

1.  Get  clear  conception  of  the  case.  The  disciples  are 
peering  into  the  kingdom,  wondering  whose  power  is 
to  be  pre-eminent.  Observe:  (a)  The  central  place  of 
the  kingdom  in  their  thoughts.  Plainly  Christ  had 
made  that  theme  eminent. 

(b)  Their  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  kingdom.  They 
had  their  eye  on  a  set  of  external  features.  They  were 
scanning  through  a  system  of  gradations  of  rank. 

(c)  Their  central  motive  was  unworthily  selfish. 
They  were  craving  for  evident  dignity,  majesty,  author- 
ity over  others. 

(d)  They  still  deferred  to  Christ.  He  did  dominate 
their  lives.  Study  all  this  closely  to  see  what  was  astray 
in  their  thoughts  or  words — in  ideal,  in  self- judgment, 
in  judgment  of  others,  in  understanding  of  the  nature 
of  the  kingdom.  This  is  surely  requisite  to  any  true 
judgment  of  Christ's  reply. 

2.  In  response,  the  Master  sets  a  little  child  among 
them.  And  over  that  little  child  he  utters  a  few  words 
that  for  pure  originality,  bright  insight,  and  fine  daring 
stand  unparalleled.  The  teacher,  who  will  explore  their 
interior  wealth  and  take  notice  of  their  incomparable 
art,  is  on  the  main  path  towards  highest  teaching  skill. 
For  a  first  step  set  each  element  w^ell  and  clearly  by 
itself. 

(a)  Men,  adults,  need  reforming.  They  are  per- 
verted, and  need  turning  back.  And  this  distortion  is 
not  a  trivial  incident  in  their  life.  It  is  fatal.  Except  it 
be  set  straight,  they  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  at  all 
(v.  3). 

(b)  Men  can  become  as  little  children.    Look  at  this 


66  Teacher-Training   with 

both  ways.  There  is  something  normally  manly  in  a 
child.  There  is  something  normally  childlike  in  a 
man.    Here  is  a  deep  look.     Peer  into  it. 

(c)  This  childlikeness  in  a  man  is  in  the  normal 
man  a  radical  trait.  Therein  inheres  his  fitness  for  the 
kingdom.  That  lacking,  his  unfitness  for  the  kingdom 
is  absolute. 

(d)  Having  an  eye  to  detect  this  heavenly  quality  in 
the  normal  child  is  primary  evidence  that  one  is  a  true 
disciple  of  Christ  (v.  5). 

(e)  Within  this  normal  child  the  primal  excellence  is 
humility  (v.  4).  Here  is  our  key  word.  Study  it.  What 
does  childlike  humility  show?  A  little  child  is  naturally, 
essentially  humble,  modest,  shy.  He  is  by  his  nature,  as 
a  child,  when  the  childlike  has  free  and  normal  play, 
instantly  and  permanently  and  perfectly  docile.  He  is 
essentially  incomplete,  immature,  and  so  acquisitive  and 
open  to  receive.  He  has  an  inherent  proclivity  to  trust. 
He  has  a  keen  sense  of  majesty,  wonder,  high  things.  He 
has  a  beautiful,  instinctive,  spontaneous,  model  appreci- 
ation of  things  superior.  He  knows  and  illustrates 
ideally  a  healthy  awe.  All  these  are  aspects  of  humility, 
charmingly  native,  graceful,  and  full  grown  in  a  little 
child.  This  central  and  far-working  trait  in  children 
Christ  commends,  and  that  with  impressive  seriousness, 
to  adults.  Humility  is  a  prime,  main  essential.  It  is  a 
fundamental  propriety.  And  its  charm  never  fails. 
Should  it  ever  vanish  from  any  man,  that  man  is  unfit 
for  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Essentially  and  forever  man 
is  a  child.    Lowliness  is  a  permanent,  radical  value. 

(f)  But  see  the  other  side.  Mark  the  Saviour's 
unfailing  balance.  He  who  humbles  himself,  like  a  little 
child,  that  man  is  great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Note 
that  word  "great."  How  the  Master  arouses  aspira- 
tions! Greatness  is  man's  goal.  Ambition  is  normal. 
High  longings,  when  purged  and  guided  right,  shall  be 
satisfied.  Humanity  has  royal  worth.  Real  majesty 
should  be  craved  by  all.  Only  seek  it  in  real  humility. 
Scan  well  the  Saviour's  jealousy  here.  Weigh  every 
word  in  v.  6.  These  humble  little  ones  may  never  be 
"offended."    Read  over  the  words  of  that  doom :  "Sunk" 


The  Master  Teacher  €j^ 

in  the  "depth"  of  the  "sea,"  by  a  "millstone,"  one  that  is 
"great,"  "hung"  about  his  "neck."  Here  is  something 
intense.  It  is  awful.  Get  its  force.  But  keep  alert. 
Every  syllable  is  keyed  to  the  value  of  humble  little  ones. 
There  is  in  every  lowly  man  and  in  every  normal  child 
an  infinite  worth.  They  may  even  stand  as  valid  repre- 
sentatives of  Christ  (v.  5).  They  may  fittingly  aspire 
to  majestic  heights.  Thus  it  is  only  a  false  ambition 
that  Jesus  rebukes.  A  true  ambition,  the  sort  that  flour- 
ishes so  beautifully  in  every  normal  child,  may  have  a 
healthy  birth  and  splendid  growth  in  every  human  life. 

(g)  This  dignity  is  democratic.  Any  man  may  gain 
it.  Mark  and  weigh  and  see  the  outlook  of  that  word 
"whosoever"  in  v.  4.  The  dignities  of  the  heavenly  king- 
dom are  not  exclusive.  Do  some  thinking  here.  As  the 
disciples  were  arguing  it  out,  they  used  a  definite  singu- 
lar:  "who"  shall  be  "greatest"?  In  their  scheme,  there 
was  room  at  the  top  for  only  one.  As  Christ  framed  his 
response,  there  is  room  at  the  top  for  all.  "Whosoever" 
— walk  round  about  that  word. 

3.  Now  search  this  lesson  through,  taking  as  a  candle 
the  title  set  at  its  head.  Follow  it  up  until  you  can 
formulate  sharp  estimates  of  Christ's  teaching  art. 

(a)  How  significant  a  theme  does  this  lesson  pre- 
sent? Get  a  clear  sense  of  its  need  and  of  its  gravity.  It 
handles  eternal  destinies.  One  must  understand  it,  or 
fail  of  the  kingdom. 

(b)  Look  into  those  disciples.  How  unchildlike,  how 
grasping,  how  misguided,  how  unfit  for  the  kingdom, 
how  untaught  they  were!  How  unapt  men  are  to  catch 
Christ's  temper,  and  tone,  and  point  of  view !  Think  of 
this.  Think  of  the  meaning  to  a  teacher  of  a  pupil's 
proclivity  to  handle  a  great  theme  in  a  small  way. 

(c)  Explore  a  little  the  mind  of  Christ  here.  Can 
you  catch  his  feeling?  Do  you  detect  any  access  of 
strenuousness,  any  burst  or  energy  of  earnestness? 
Weigh  that  "millstone."  There  were  two  sizes:  one 
turned  by  hand,  and  one  worked  by  a  mule.  Christ 
chose  the  latter — a  "great"  millstone.  Ponder  this. 
Then  his  state  of  mind,  as  he  drew  in  that , little  child — 
what  were  his  feelings  then,  do  you  think?    Then  study 


68  Teacher-Training  with 

just  here  the  main  propensities  of  Christ's  mind.  He 
had  a  "little"  child.  Think  of  the  meaning  to  a  pupil  of 
a  teacher's  proclivity  to  handle  a  little  thing  in  a  large 
way. 

(d)  State  to  yourself  the  value  for  good  teaching  of 
selecting  an  illustration  from  life — and  then  from  child 
life.  That  is,  try  to  construct  this  same  lesson,  omitting 
the  child. 

(e)  Look  into  the  composite  character  of  Christ's 
answer.  His  answer  was  a  child.  But  think  how  much 
a  child  includes.  As  an  object  of  study,  it  is  by  no 
means  simple.  Christ  offers  it  as  an  answer.  But  that 
answer  it  requires  a  Master  to  explain.  At  first  thought, 
it  all  seems  open  and  simple.  But  second  thought  shows 
that  nothing  could  be  more  profound.  And  still,  how 
perfectly  adequate  and  apt,  as  an  object  lesson  for  those 
disciples ! 

(f)  Reflect  upon  Christ's  instantaneous,  complete 
understanding  of  the  whole  problem,  the  instant  he  laid 
his  hand  upon  that  child.  The  whole  truth  flashed  all 
its  light  at  once  upon  his  eye.  What  a  mighty  factor 
in  a  teacher's  work ! 

(g)  Appreciate  how  Christ  showed  the  truth.  He 
did  not  reply  by  a  bald,  dogmatic  authority.  He  called 
into  play  upon  their  query  their  own  connected  thought. 
In  a  way  he  left  it  to  them. 


The  Master  Teacher  69 


LESSON  XV. 

The  Deeps  of  Forgiveness. 

Matt.  18  :  21-35. 

I.  Peter's  inquiry.  One  should  review  this  whole 
chapter  to  see  how  Peter  came  to  put  this  question  to 
Christ.  Read  it  all  repeatedly.  Keep  asking  questions, 
such  as  these :  Was  Peter  seeking  his  own  ease  and 
peace,  or  his  brother's  good?  Was  he  studying  the 
value  of  forgiveness,  or  his  own  dignity?  Was  he 
largely  generous,  or  largely  jealous  in  his  mood?  Was 
his  outlook  towards  self-denial,  or  towards  self-defense? 
Had  he  been  watchfully  admiring  the  fullness  of  the 
mercy  of  Christ,  or  was  he  largely  insensible  to  its 
wealth  and  grace?  Was  his  inquiry  the  outgrowth  of 
forbearance  or  resentment?  Weigh  his  every  word. 
That  word  "sin":  "How  often  shall  my  brother  sin 
against  me?"  How  did  that  word  leave  his  lips?  Then 
that  word  "forgive" :  "and  I  forgive  him."  Ponder 
this.  His  eye  is  on  his  brother's  sin,  repeated  sin ;  then 
it  is  on  forgiveness,  repeated  forgiveness.  Which  term 
most  likely  held  his  heart  most  vigorously?  Now  study 
that  phrase  that  follows — his  own  suggestion  of  a  reply : 
"till  seven  times."  Get  his  temper.  Does  the  very 
wording  and  phrasing  of  his  inquiry  give  any  hint?  Do 
you  suppose  that  prospect  of  "forgiving"  a  brother's 
"sin"  till  "seven"  times  was  any  way  engaging?  Would 
it  seem  an  irksome,  or  a  welcome  act?  Does  his  ques- 
tion suggest  eagerness  or  reluctance?  What  was  Peter's 
drift?  Where  did  Peter  stand?  What  was  Peter's  need? 
Such  questions  are,  from  any  teacher's  point  of  view, 
beyond  all  doubt  imperative.  This  point  was  no  doubt 
sharply  scanned  by  Christ.  And  he  finished  down  his 
judgment  to  the  sharpest  edge,  before  he  set  out  with  any 
reply.     Bungling  here  but  poorly  befits  his  followers. 


yo  Teacher-Trainin^  with 

2.  Christ's  first  reply.  He  instantly  raises  Peter's  esti- 
mate sevenfy-fold.  This  is  violently  abrupt.  And  its 
violence  is_  evidently  designed.  But  what  does  such 
excessiveness  mean?  Certainly  this,  that  Peter's  con- 
jecture was  widely  astray.  This  the  naked  mathematics 
makes  sun-clear.  But  the  problem  is  not  a  case  of 
numbers.  The  subject  is  forgiveness  of  a  sin,  a  sin 
that  keeps  recurring.  This  is  a  grave  affair.  And  in 
such  a  grave  concern  Peter's  measurement  went  seventy 
degrees  astray,  and  that  by  a  geometrical  rate.  Now 
you  do  well  to  tarry  right  here  for  long  and  searching 
thought.  Just  where  did  Peter  stand  upon  this  theme? 
And  where  was  the  standing  ground  of  Christ?  In  fact 
they  stood  a  whole  continent  apart.  But  what,  just  what 
does  this  fact  mean?  It  is  precisely  this  that  Jesus  goes 
on  to  make  clear.  It  is  a  choice  example  of  how  to 
teach. 

3.  The  parable,  (a)  He  imagines  a  debtor  owing 
60,000,000  shillings,  with  not  a  shilling  to  pay.  The 
creditor,  a  king,  issues  a  decree  that  the  man,  and  his 
wife,  and  his  children,  and  all  he  had  be  sold,  that  the 
account  might  be  squared.  Such  was  the  debtor's  plight, 
such  was  his  distress.  Jesus  describes  him  as  falling 
prostrate,  begging  for  the  mercy  of  delay,  and  pledging 
that  every  shilling  shall  be  paid.  In  compassion  the 
lord  releases  the  man,  and  remits  the  debt  in  full  and 
for  good.    Thus  the  Master  fashions  the  case. 

(b)  Here  is  the  place  for  a  teacher  to  stop  and  ask 
sharp  questions.  Why  did  Christ  devise  an  indebtedness 
so  immense?  Why  did  he  paint  the  man  so  penniless? 
Why  did  he  work  in  the  peonage  of  all  his  house? 
These  are  all  notoriously  vigorous  strokes.  But  they 
are  all  pure  fancy.  What  was  the  Master  at?  Why 
did  he  project  a  case  so  serious,  so  extreme?  He  had 
a  distinct  design.    Do  you  see  it? 

(c)  Now  follow  the  Master's  further  fancying.  He 
conceives  this  man,  just  out  of  the  grip  of  the  direst 
distress,  as  himself  a  creditor  in  the  paltry  sum  of  100 
shillings.  He  paints  him  as  unheedful  of  the  cry  for 
mercy,  unbending  in  the  vigor  of  his  right,  and  all 
unpityingly  thrusting  his  fellow  debtor  into  jail, 


The  Master  Teacher  j#- 


(d)  Now  can  you  interpret  this?  What  does  it 
mean?  Work  it  over  and  over.  Expound  this  literally. 
Test  this :  The  recipient  of  priceless  mercy  is  himself 
an  uncompassionate  extortioner,  pitiless  as  a  Turk, 
wrenching  from  a  broken  life  the  uttermost  penny  of 
his  claim.  Unmeasured  mercy  had  befriended  him.  He 
who  obtained  great  mercy  is  not  merciful.  Now  study 
into  this.  It  is  the  very  core  of  Christ's  Gospel.  Put  it 
this  way :  Can  forgiveness  enter  an  unforgiving  life  ? 
Is  a  merciless  man  fit  to  receive  any  mercy? 

Then  put  it  this  way :  Must  a  man  have  a  real  share 
in  the  forgiveness  he  receives.  Think  of  that  forgiven 
debt.  In  signing  away  his  claim  that  kindly  king  signed 
away  60,000,000  of  sterling  coin.  That  act  was  to  him 
at  awful  cost.  But  of  this  impressive  sacrifice  that 
pleading  debtor  had  no  sense.  The  priceless  value  of 
that  royal  clemency  he  utterly  failed  to  sense.  He  knew 
not  how  to  value  it  in  kind.  He  was  incompetent  to 
understand  what  "forgiveness"  meant.  It  was  a  process 
in  which  he  had  no  share.  This  comes  clear  in  two 
ways,  as  Jesus  invents  the  case.  He  would  not  forgive 
his  fellow  debtor.  And  his  own  release  was  finally 
recalled.  Now  study.  Mercy  costs.  In  that  cost  both 
parties  must  feel  a  share.  To  be  forgiven  one  must  be 
forgiving.  Only  the  merciful  can  obtain  mercy.  Pur- 
sue this.  Can  a  man  take  benefit  from  moral  sacrifice, 
and  give  its  moral  cost  and  pain  no  heed?  Now  turn 
it  right  about.  If  a  man  is  deeply  gracious  himself,  will 
he  shrink  from  the  prospect  of  showing  grace  to  others  ? 
Does  this  hit  Peter's  case?  And  was  just  this  the 
Saviour's  aim? 

(c)  Now  sum  it  up.  The  forgiven,  being  unfor- 
giving, abides  in  guilt.  The  forgiving,  being  wronged, 
will  freely  and  limitlessly  forgive.  Grace  is  gracious. 
Mercy  is  merciful.  Peter  really  hated  to  forgive.  Sen- 
sible of  its  obligation,  he  was  trying  to  find  its  minimum 
bound.  He  hopes  to  find  its  obligation  expire,  at  the 
outside,  after  seven  times.  And  he  seems  to  have  no 
thought  but  that  within  that  range  his  exercise  of  par- 
don may  be  faultlessly  correct.  Jesus'  answer  shows 
that  mercy  is  deeply  free,  unlimited,  unrestrained.     For- 


y2  Teacher-TraJning  with 

giveness  is  a  work  of  mercy  in  which  both  parties  share 
alike.  Giver  and  receiver  rejoice  and  suffer  together. 
He  who  receives,  sorrows  and  suffers  with  him  who 
gives.  He  who  gives,  rejoices  with  him  who  receives. 
In  forgiveness  both  cost  and  joy  are  deeply  mutual. 
This  is  the  Saviour's  truth.  And  this  is  the  Master's 
art. 

4.  Teaching  hints. 

(a)  Christ's  outrightness.  Note  Peter's  mood.  How 
cautious,  and  timid,  and  mincing  his  step !  Contrast 
the  ample  generosity  of  Christ.  He  disdains  all  scanti- 
ness. Note  the  burst  and  stride  of  his  speech.  How 
manly  it  is,  how  straight-away.  What  an  element  in  a 
teacher ! 

(b)  Christ's  fullness  of  grace.  Peter's  impulse  to 
forgive  was  a  faint  and  drooping  plant.  Christ's  clem- 
ency was  like  a  king. 

(c)  The  gentleness  of  Christ's  strength.  There  was 
in  his  words  a  lightning  flash.  And  yet  those  jvords 
shine  with  all  the  mildness  of  a  morning  dawn. 

(d)  Christ's  relentlessness.  Peter's  thought  is  tug- 
ging for  relief.  But  the  Master's  requisitions  are  liter- 
ally extreme.     Think  of  this. 

(e)  Christ's  deep  consistency.  Peter's  ideas  about 
forgiving  and  being  forgiven  were  apparently  sadly  out 
of  accord.  At  least  this  was  the  case  of  the  leading 
debtor  in  the  parable.  But  Jesus  sets  the  two  experi- 
ences in  absolute  coincidence.  A  forgiving  heart  is  the 
efflorescence  of  a  forgiven  life.  How  deeply  do  you  con- 
ceive this  to  open  into  the  genius  of  Jesus'  teaching  art  ? 


The  Master  Teacher  73 


LESSON  XVI. 

Handling  a  Shifty  Lawyer. 

Luke  10  :  25-37. 

I.  Do  your  best  to  understand  this  case. 

(a)  He  comes  inquiring,  as  though  ignorant.  But 
he  answers  each  question,  as  though  expert.  Look  into 
his  profession.  He  was  by  training  and  practice  an  adept 
in  the  very  line  of  his  question.  His  standing  was  well 
defined,  and  his  influence  as  teacher  was  most  com- 
manding. Study  the  Gospel  allusions  to  "lawyers"  and 
"scribes."  Try  to  get  a  general  sense  of  their  attitude 
towards  Christ.  Try  to  discover  why  this  attitude  took 
just  the  form  it  did. 

(b)  Put  together  this  man's  form  of  approach  to 
Christ,  and  his  estimate  of  himself.  He  came  "tempt- 
ing" the  Lord;  and  he  was  inclined  to  "justify"  himself. 
See  sharply  how  these  two  impulses  were  related.  He 
came  as  though  in  the  dark  and  seeking  light.  Christ 
made  him  answer  his  own  question  ;  and  then  declared 
his  answer  all-sufficient.  Think  of  this.  Do  you  think 
this  lawyer  was  genuine?  Did  he  seek  for  light? 
Plainly  not.  He  knew  passing  well ;  and  his  reply  came 
out  instantly.  And  Christ's  prompt  approbation  brought 
the  conversation,  of  a  sudden,  to  a  full  stop.  Be  definite 
here.  This  lawyer  began  by  asking  a  question.  The 
sequel  shows  that  its  true  answer  was  not  what  he 
sought.  What,  then,  was  he  after?  Was  he  really 
shamming?  Did  he  actually  feel  real  respect  for  Christ? 
Was  he  hungry  for  truth?  Do  not  dodge  these  ques- 
tions. Locate  this  man.  What  is  the  meaning  of  v.  29? 
Christ's  opinion  of  his  own  reply  was  clear  and  prompt : 
"This  do  and  thou  shalt  live."  What  means  that  pro- 
pensity to. "justify"  himself?  Justify  himself  in  whatT 
Press  your  thoughts  for  an  answer  here.     Had  he  been 


J  4^  Teacher 'Training  icith 

unneighborly?  Exactly  why  did  that  next  question 
come  to  the  surface?  What  sent  it  out?  Something 
lay  back  of  it.  Push  for  that  inner  region.  These  ques- 
tions are  obviously  makeshifts.  There  is  some  hidden 
animus.  Find  it  out.  Study  the  scene  all  through,  hav- 
ing in  your  eye  one  only  aim :  to  det.ect  the  spirit  that 
was  in  this  man.  Help  on  your  search  by  reviewing 
again  all  the  Gospel  allusions  to  lawyers.  What  was 
their  type?  Is  this  case  one  of  that  type?  Keep  at  this. 
Plainly  this  man's  queries  were  merely  a  disguise.  It 
is  equally  plain  that  his  disguise,  when  smitten  with  one 
honest  glance  from  Christ,  was  all  too  thin.  Now  see 
how  the  Master  handled  him. 

2.  Christ's  answer.  (a)  He  drew  him  out  of  his 
ambush.  He  drove  the  lawyer  to  his  law.  He  made  it 
come  clear  that  the  inquirer  knew  quite  enough  to 
fashion  his  own  reply.  He  made  it  stand  painfully  plain 
that  this  questioning  scribe  was  more  ready  to  teach 
than  he  was  to  pursue  the  way  of  life.  This  laid  open 
in  his  life  a  sad  and  shameful  flaw.  Though  spending 
all  his  strength  upon  the  law  of  life,  as  a  teacher,  he  was 
not  respecting  that  law  in  his  own  behavior.  He  was 
merely  mentally  curious.  He  was  not  morally  in  earnest. 
If  he  would  but  "do"  what  he  well  knew,  he  would 
"live."  But  his  knowing  and  doing  fell  apart.  Hence 
he  stood  every  day  self-condemned.  This  moral  cleft 
the  Master  made  him  lay  open,  as  an  awful  blemish.  Do 
not  fail  to  see  by  how  swift  and  deft  a  stroke  this 
was  done:  "You 'seek  the  path  to  life;  you  are  familiar 
with  the  law ;  how  does  it  run?  this  do."  "Do"  what  you 
already  know. 

(b)  This  ousted  the  man  from  his  selected  hiding- 
place.  He  stood  out  in  the  open  sun.  And  it  was  his 
own  word  that  so  quickly  uncovered  his  trick.  He 
stood  in  most  evident  guilt  of  a  false  pretense,  and  that 
upon  a  most  solemn  concern.  He  must  find  some  other 
subterfuge.  And  so  he  dodges  nimbly  into  the  old  and 
tangled  thicket  of  race  prejudice,  and  intimates  that  he 
is  unclear  as  to  who  his  neighbor  is.  Beyond  all  denial 
this  is  nothing  but  a  shift.  Pursue  it  closely.  .  Wc  need 
to  know  our  man  before  we  can  ever  fitly  teach.     What 


The  Master  Teacher 


75 


kind  of  a  man  is  this?     Two  things  are  clear.     He  is 
insincere ;  and  he  is  trying  to  save  his  skin. 

3.  The  parable.  Keep  two  things  in  mind :  the  man, 
his  general  type ;  and  the  question,  its  particular  point. 
And  keep  in  mind  that  this  is  a  parable,  a  pure  inven- 
tion ;  and  that  it  was  fashioned  in  the  Saviour's  mind  in 
an  instant's  flash.  And  mark  some  general  traits.  The 
field  selected  by  Christ  is  not  the  sea  or  the  farm,  the 
flowers  or  the  birds.  He  fashions  his  fancy  from  the 
experience  of  a  man.     Why  was  this  ? 

And  in  this  human  scene,  he  invents,  as  the  central 
feature,  a  case  of  suffering.  Why  was  this?  And  he 
imagines  the  suffering  as  so  extreme  as  to  be  all  but 
fatal.  Weigh  each  word.  Why  was  this?  And  he 
conceives  this  last  extremity  of  human  pain  and  peril 
as  being  left  by  most  excellent  and  good  men  in  con- 
scious, intentional  and  absolute  neglect.  Why  was  this? 
And  finally  he  pictures  a  man,  whom  this  Jewish  lawyer 
w^ould  deem  wholly  wanting  of  good  repute,  as  paying 
to  the  neglected  and  dying  sufferer  all  humane  attention, 
and  this  at  distinct  personal  inconvenience  and  cost. 
Why  was  this?  And  there  the  Master  leaves  the  matter, 
simply  forcing  the  lawyer  again  to  answer  his  own 
question.    Why  was  this? 

Here,  now,  are  a  few  plain  questions.  Not  one  of 
them  is  vain,  if  you  really  covet  insight  into  the  art  of 
teaching.  They  are  not  abstruse.  They  are  not  occult. 
They  are  concrete  and  obvious.  They  all  point  straight 
to  the  method  and  art  of  our  Saviour's  work.  And  they 
all  point  to  one  center.  They  guide  unerringly  in  the 
direction  of  true  neighborliness.  This  is  the  only  point 
of  the  lawyer's  inquiry.  This  is  the  only  point  of  the 
Master's  reply.  This  is  the  only  point  of  your  study,  if 
you  are  in  earnest.  Every  question  helps  to  place  it. 
Every  question  merits  an  honest  reply. 

4.  Special  studies. 

(a)  Think  of  the  two  main  themes  of  this  scene — 
eternal  life  and  neighborliness.  How  did  they  ever 
come  up  in  a  conversation  with  Christ?     Why  together? 

(b)  In  handling  neighborliness.  how  likely  are  you 
to  come  upon  suffering?     Ts  there  any  hint  here  of  a 


^6  Teacher 'Training  with 

good  test  of  good  teaching?    Note  that  Christ  volun- 
teered this  element.     Why? 

(c)  Christ's  teaching  soon  lands  him  in  the  work 
of  repair.  See  how  often  in  the  Gospels  he  introduces 
this  theme.  How  deeply  does  this  theme  strike  into  the 
heart  of  all  his  discussions? 

(d)  Do  you  note  the  presence  of  sin  in  this  lesson? 
Where?  How  does  it  get  introduced?  Does  its  dis- 
closure here  show  good  teaching? 

(e)  Here  are  four  things  brought  together:  this 
lawyer's  topic,  eternal  life ;  that  citation  of  the  sum  of 
the  O.T.  law;  Christ's  mission;  and  this  parable  about 
the  neighbor.  Now  can  you  show  two  things?  First, 
how  these  four  matters  happen  to  get  together?  Trace 
out  the  genesis  and  development  of  this  little  scene. 
Show  how  each  element  greiv  in.  Second,  how  those 
four  things  are  related  essentially.  Do  they  really  vitally 
cohere?  In  brief,  is  this  lesson  a  unit?  Where  does  its 
unity  lie?  How  profound  a  matter  is  true  neighbor- 
liness? 

(f)  Study  this:  Would  the  parable  have  had  just  as 
much  point  and  force,  if  the  benefactor  had  been  a 
Jew,  and  the  beneficiary  had  been  wholly  exempt  from 
distress? 

(g)  Did  Christ  teach  this  lawyer  anything?  Did  he 
tell  him  anything?  Pause  right  here  awhile.  Just  what 
did  Christ  accomplish?    Just  how  did  he  do  it? 

(h)  How  did  it  happen  that  Christ  could  ilash  forth 
so  instantly  so  finely  polished  an  answer?  Exactly  what 
are  the  elements  of  the  answer?  What  is  there  in  it 
other  than  absolute  sincerity  and  absolute  good-will? 
Where  then  lay  the  secret  of  Christ's  skill? 


The  Master  Teacher  pj^. 


LESSON  XVII. 

The  Full  Truth  Concerning  Prayer. 

Luke  II  :  1-13. 

1.  How  this  scene  happened.  Its  immediate  occa- 
sion was  a  vision,  by  the  disciples,  of  Christ  in  the  act 
of  prayer.  Something  in  that  scene  seems  to  have  im- 
pressed one  of  his  followers.  It  is  noteworthy  that 
the  Lord's  conduct  seemed  engaging.  This  disciple 
coveted  the  same  freedom  and  power  that  Jesus  showed. 
He  wished  to  imitate  his  Lord.  Another  influence  was 
the  fact  that  John  had  taught  his  disciples  to  pray.  Here 
is  food  for  any  teacher's  thought.  The  disciples  seek 
instruction.  And  this  appeal  is  due  to  the  Great 
Teacher's  example,  Christ's  own  prayer  so  impressed 
his  follower  that  he  plead  to  be  taught  its  secret. 

And  think  of  John  tutoring  his  disciples  to  pray. 
Think  of  his  own  experience,  his  capacity  to  treat  its 
principles,  his  method  of  teaching.  Let  your  fancy  play. 
Imagine  how  Christ  would  enter  upon  prayer,  how  he 
would  work  his  way  through  a  prayer,  how  he  would 
close  a  prayer.  Imagine  how  firmly  both  John  and 
Christ  must  have  believed  in  prayer.  Here  are  strong 
convictions,  careful  thought,  and  open  example  on  the 
part  of  the  teacher;  and  admiring  attention,  a  cherished 
wish,  and  a  voluntary  appeal  on  the  part  of  the  pupil ; 
and  all  concerning  that  solemn  but  vital  mystery,  prayer 
to  the  unseen  God,  Here  is  both  milk  for  babes  and  meat 
for  strong  men,  who  covet  the  power  to  teach. 

2.  The  form  of  prayer  (vv.  2-4),  (a)  See  how  the 
Master's  reply  starts  out :  not  by  an  argument,  but  by  a 
model.  Mark  his  themes.  They  are  the  main  thing. 
Weigh  and  compass  each  one.  God's  kingdom :  the 
coming  and  culmination  of  his  sovereign  work  of  judg- 
ment and  grace.    Man's  bodily  need :  the  plea  for  a  daily 


y8  Teacher^Traimng  tclth 

grant  of  daily  food.  Sin :  a  call  for  pardon,  enforced  by 
an  avowal  of  a  personal  sense  of  its  cost  and  worth. 
Temptation:  a  petition  to  be  spared  the  peril  of  its 
assault.  A  Father :  a  reverent  embodiment  of  a  filial 
feeling  of  trust  and  love. 

(b)  Bring  to  the  front  the  great  values  engrossed  in 
this  prayer.  The  moral :  Abhorrence  of  sin,  sense  of 
proneness  to  sin,  experience  of  wrong  inflicted  by  others, 
exercise  of  the  wonder  of  pardon,  craving  for  grace. 
Here  lies  open  all  the  range  of  the  moral  realm.  The 
physical :  How  essential !  How  suggestive  of  waste 
and  change  each  day!  The  religious:  The  sense  of 
God's  fatherhood,  and  transcendence.  Get  a  clear  sense 
of  their  deep  diversity,  their  boundless  range,  their  full 
unison.  The  social :  Look  into  the  hints  of  fellowship 
with  others  in  dependence  and  praise,  in  sin  and  grace. 

(c)  Think  all  this  over  and  over,  as  a  body  of  truth. 
Think  of  the  process  of  selecting  and  assembling  it  in 
the  Master's  mind.  Think  of  his  sweep  and  search  of 
thought.  Think  of  his  comprehension  of  human  need, 
human  peril,  human  lapse,  human  hunger,  human  peace. 
Think  of  his  insight  into  God.  Think  of  the  balance 
of  his  thought.  Think  of  all  these  and  other  things  as 
hints  of  the  Saviour's  full  readiness  for  such  a  request. 
He  was  a  man  of  prayer.  He  was  a  man  of  thought. 
In  such  a  theme  he  was  at  home.  Such  readiness  for 
such  a  theme — what  a  study  for  teachers ! 

3.  The  case  of  a  man  in  need,  and  his  friend  in  bed 
(vv.  5-8).  Read  this  over  and  over,  till  you  exactly 
find  the  Master's  aim.  Then  read  it  over  and  over,  till 
you  appreciate  his  art. 

(a)  Look  into  that  need,  as  Jesus  painted  it.  It 
affects  a  host.  It  is  a  lack  of  bread.  It  is  deep  in  the 
night.  It  involves  a  guest.  Study  this.  It  is  all  pure 
imagination.    But  every  phrase  is  a  flash  from  Christ. 

(b)  Follow  the  course  of  getting  a  supply.  It  was 
secured  from  a  "friend."  It  came  despite  irksome  in- 
convenience. The  decisive  motive  was  shame.  It  was 
an  answer  to  a  prayer.  Scan  each  feature  here,  too. 
Every  stroke  is  free  invention ;  but  it  is  the  invention  of 
a  fertile,  lively  mind. 


The   Master  Teacher  fp 

(c)  Now  get  it  all  before  your  mind.  This  whole 
case  is  nothing  but  a  supposition.  Why  did  Jesus  sup- 
pose such  a  case?  Why  did  he  pick  that  relation  of 
"host"  and  "guest"  ?  Why  did  he  paint  the  host  with 
"nothing"  ?  Why  did  he  conceive  the  host  as  seeking  a 
"friend"?  And  why,  especially,  did  he  insert  that  ele- 
ment of  "shame"?  Now,  look  all  these  features  over. 
Where  does  the  accent  lie?  Bring  the  case  to  some 
point.  Is  it  hospitality,  or  friendship,  or  emergency  of 
need,  or  urgency  of  prayer?  Just  what  is  the  meaning 
of  that  word  "shame"?  Does  it  point  to  the  pride  of 
the  host,  or  the  hunger  of  the  guest,  or  the  duty  of  a 
friend?  Work  this  through.  Christ  has  supposed  a 
case  where  a  prayer  and  its  answer  are  the  outcome  of 
an  insufferable  extremity.  No  guest  may  go  unfed. 
That  were  a  disgrace.  Such  a  situation  compels  a 
prayer.     Such  a  prayer  compels  an  answer. 

(d)  Now  keep  strictly  to  this  supposed  case.  Be 
sure  you  know  just  what  you  are  doing.  Bring  out 
again  each  element :  the  host,  the  guest,  the  hunger,  the 
friend,  the  plea,  the  inconvenience,  the  sham.e,  the  bread. 
Out  of  all  these,  omitting  no  one,  construct  a  sentence 
showing  the  propriety  and  the  power  of  prayer.  Fashion 
it  so  that  a  prayer  will  be  unavoidable ;  so  that  its  force 
will  be  irresistible ;  so  that  its  denial  wnll  be  inconceiv- 
able. Keep  at  this  until  you  see  the  point  and  force  of 
Christ's  thought. 

(e)  But  do  not  forget  that  the  entire  situation  is  an 
invention.  It  was  an  absolute  and  free  creation  of 
Christ's  thought.  Why  did  he  give  it  just  that  form? 
Try  to  recast  it  all,  eliminating  completely  that  element 
of  "shame."  Wherein  will  your  case  and  this  one  dififer 
in  their  teaching  touching  prayer?  Then  take  out  en- 
tirely the  "guest."  Would  the  case  be  equally  urgent? 
Then  cut  out  all  trace  of  need.  Then  would  prayer 
be  just  as  fit  and  strong?  Pursue  this.  Search  out  the 
very  point  and  the  exquisite  art  of  these  brief  phrases 
from  the  Great  Teacher's  lips. 

4.  Now  enter  vv.  9-13.  Here  it  is  not  "host"  and 
"guest"  and  "friend";  but  "father"  and  "son."  But  ob- 
serve the  "bread"  again. 


8o  Teacher-Training  with 

(a)  Put  together  these  three  factors:  father,  son, 
and  bread.  Out  of  these  three  primary  human  reahties 
Christ  weaves  an  argument  for  prayer.  As  illustrated 
here,  prayer  is  vital,  normal,  valid,  and  efficient.  It  is 
woven  out  of  strongest,  tenderest  human  ties.  Do  not 
drop  this  clue.     Pursue  it. 

(b)  But  above  all  things  mark  that  phrase  "how 
much  rather."  This  is  vital  to  understand.  It  intimates 
that  all  thus  far  said  is  only  an  introduction.  It  is  a  dis- 
tant approach.  Earthly  friends  and  fathers  are  bound  to 
hear,  and  sure  to  honor  exigent  appeals.  But  at  the 
very  best  (mark  this)  their  responses  are  sluggish  and 
prone  to  be  misled.  With  them  are  weariness  and  mis- 
takes. Still  they  will  surely  answer  such  requests.  But 
your  heavenly  Father  never  wearies  and  never  errs.  Any 
cry  out  of  any  need  for  any  good  he  will  surely  heed. 
By  as  much  as  his  love  and  truth  and  strength  transcend 
all  earthly  fathers'  and  friends',  by  so  much  will  his 
proffer  of  all  good  in  answer  to  all  prayer  be  more  sure. 

(c)  Now  note  the  agreement  of  it  all.  Hold  together 
before  your  eye  his  own  act  of  prayer,  his  form  of 
prayer,  these  two  illustrations,  and  that  central  appeal  of 
his  in  V.  9.  Study  deeply  into  them  all.  Do  they  all 
agree?  Here  is  your  chance  to  test  the  full  perfection 
of  the  Master's  art. 

5.  Teaching  hints. 

(a)  Study  the  relation  of  teaching  to  experience. 
Is  it  likely  that  Jesus  ever  lay  through  a  night  unfed? 

(b)  Could  a  truer  or  more  ultimate  analogy  be 
named  for  the  study  of  prayer  than  a  son's  request  of  his 
father  for  bread?     Christ  was  deeply  thoughtful. 

(c)  Examine  minutely  this  method  of  teaching  by 
analogy. 

(d)  Study  the  value  of  making  your  teaching  irre- 
sistible. 

(e)  Find  the  roots  of  Christ's  strength.  They  lay 
in  his  complete  familiarity  with  the  very  nature  of  God 
and  the  very  nature  of  men. 

(f)  Which  has  the  greater  teaching  value— the  gen- 
uineness of  Christ's  piety  or  the  profundity  of  his 
thought? 


The   Master  Teacher  81 


LESSON  XVIII. 

When  Pupils  Lie  in  Ambush. 

Luke  14  :  1-6. 

I.  Here  is  another  scene  with  critics.  Jesus  was  at  a 
feast.  The  host  was  a  ruler  from  among  the  pharisees. 
The  guests  were  probably  the  host's  familiars,  who 
would  sympathize  with  him  in  a  technical,  legalistic  view 
of  life.  It  was  a  Sabbath  day,  a  period  beset  all  around 
with  scruples  and  statutory  rules.  Here  is  call  again 
for  the  play  of  your  imagination.  Give  it  some  liberty. 
Make  use  of  it. 

(a)  Try  and  conceive  how  Christ  figured  there.  His 
very  presence  shows  that  he  had  command  of  some 
measure  of  their  respect.  They  did  him  the  honor  to 
give  him  a  place  at  their  feast.  This  reaches  back  into 
some  anterior  observation  and  study  of  Christ,  on  their 
part.  Let  your  mind  run  out  into  this.  Fancy  how 
Christ  won  their  heed.  But  scan  this  scene.  Christ  was 
being  "watched."  Think  of  him  under  that  constant 
scrutiny.  They  were  all  the  time  gathering,  he  was  all 
the  time  giving  points.  And  Jesus  was  conscious  and 
wary.  Note  that  "answer"  in  v.  3.  He  had  his  eyes 
open  to  their  every  nod  and  wink.  Think  of  this.  Imag- 
ine Christ  caught  napping !  And  he  moved  straight 
forward  in  his  work.  He  did  not  idle  or  delay  or  post- 
pone. He  knew  that  their  hearts  were  unfriendly.  He 
knew  that  he  was  about  to  give  offense.  Think  of  this 
unvarying  straightforwardness  in  Christ's  deeds.  He 
always  paid  his  mission  full  respect.  Some  phase  of  it 
was  shining  everywhere.  No  phase  of  it  needed  hiding 
anywhere.  He  never  dallied  or  trifled  or  entered  into 
truce  with  enemies.  He  always  stood  erect.  He  always 
faced  his  work.     Here  are  fertile  hints  for  teachers. 

(b)  Study     those     fellow     gue^-t?.       They     merely 


82  Teacher-Training  with 

"watched."  They  leveled  all  their  eyes  for  some  flaw. 
Even  when  Jesus  squarely  challenged  them,  not  a  man 
but  was  so  unfair  and  rude  as  to  decline  all  reply.  Their 
silence  came  near  to  being  glum.  They  asked  nothing, 
answered  nothing,  offered  nothing,  did  nothing.  Study 
them.  Describe  them.  Test  these  following  words : 
They  were  cold,  zealous,  biased,  resolute,  cruel,  cow- 
ardly, crafty,  blind,  subtle,  studious,  formal,  envious,  set, 
keen.  Which  of  those  terms  are  inaccurate  or  unfair  or 
superfluous?     But  get  in  earnest.    Study  these  men. 

(c)  Now  try  to  explain  to  yourself  how  this  condi- 
tion arose.  How  is  it,  when  Christ  is  so  frank,  that  his 
fellow  feasters  are  so  sly ;  when  he  is  so  genial,  they  are 
so  sour;  when  he  is  so  undisguised,  they  are  so  suspi- 
cious? Christ  was  the  light  of  the  world.  Why  must 
they  play  the  spy?  Study  into  this.  Find  its  roots. 
Doubtless  Jesus  did.  As  those  people  sat  there  feasting, 
they  should  have  had  with  Christ  unhindered  and  happy 
fellowship.  What  was  the  obstacle?  Study  that  list 
of  adjectives  above  again.  Which  one  indicates  the 
heart  of  this  unfriendliness?  Was  it  their  dullness,  or 
their  envy,  or  their  Sabbath  legalism?  Track  this  down. 
Carve  out  some  answer.  It  is,  for  wise  teaching,  a  first 
necessity.  At  what  point  will  Jesus  most  wisely  level 
his  next  word  or  deed? 

2.  Now  study  the  Master's  work.  He  is  aware  of 
their  Sabbath  rules.  He  projects  before  their  eye  a 
man  sick  with  the  dropsy,  and  an  ox  in  a^pit.  He  heals 
the  dropsy,  consciously  assailing  their  Sabbath  scruples, 
and  transgressing  their  Sabbath  rules.  And  then  he 
demands  of  any  one  of  them  to  say,  if  he  would  not  on 
the  Sabbath  day  do  any  labor  needful  for  the  relief  of  his 
ox. 

(a)  See  if  you  can  construct  out  of  this  deed  upon 
the  dropsy  and  that  word  about  the  ox  Christ's  idea  of 
the  root  fault  in  those  spies.  They  would  neglect  the 
man,  but  respect  the  ox.  And  they  would  do  this  out  of 
esteem  for  the  Sabbath.  Look.  Here  are  religious 
formalism,  property  greed,  and  inhumanity,  these  three. 
Christ's  procedure  deals  a  ringing  blow  at  every  one. 
Now  answer.     How  did  Jesus  interpret  and  understand 


The  Master  Teacher  8^ 

the  case?  Then  answer  again.  Was  his  view  correct? 
And  then  answer  once  more.  His  diagnosis  being  right, 
was  his  treatment  wise?  Would  you  think  and  act 
similarly?  Be  careful  here.  What  was  the  sum  of 
Christ's  answer?  At  its  sharpest  point  it  was  human 
kindness.  He  felt  compassion  for  human  suffering.  The 
sharp  thrust  of  this  plain  point  was  the  whole  force  of 
his  response.  That  pointed  act  rebuked  the  reign  of 
legalism  and  greed,  and  made  human  sympathy  free  and 
sovereign  in  the  midst  of  the  human  heart.  Now  look 
keenly  after  the  accuracy  of  this.  Study  it  over  and 
over,  through  and  through,  in  and  out,  looking  in  turn 
at  the  sick  man,  the  ox,  the  spies,  the  Sabbath  code,  the 
mind  of  Christ.     Did  Christ's  blow  hit  home? 

(b)  But  watch,  the  class  he  was  teaching — those 
fellow  guests.  Mark  their  attitude.  They  are  hard'and 
rigid  and  fixed.  They  are  not  fair.  They  are  morally 
stolid.  They  are  beyond  any  teacher's  reach.  They  hate 
the  truth.  They  love  the  ox  more  than  the  invalid  man. 
They  cherish  Sabbath  primness  above  human  joy.  Com- 
passion is  stifled.  Keen  and  spry  towards  money  gain 
and  money  loss,  they  are  dull  and  faint  towards  human 
hurt  and  human  cheer.  They  are  ardent  towards  things, 
frigid  towards  men. 

(c)  With  all  their  indocility  in  your  mind,  study 
Jesus  again.  Note  every  quality  of  his  work.  He  keeps 
to  his  own  pattern.  Explore  the  inner  value  of  that  act 
of  healing.  It  is  a  beautiful  display  of  kindliness  and 
skill.  Before  such  a  company,  and  in  the  intent  of  Christ 
what  did  that  healing  mean  ?  It  carried  up  to  the  very 
portals  of  their  eyes  a  mighty  lesson.  Find  it  out.  Then 
get  the  -measure  of  his  boldness.  He  knows  he  is 
trampling  some  of  their  choicest  prejudices. beneath  his 
feet.  But  he  walks  straight  on.  He  doesn't  flinch  an 
instant,  or  swerve  an  inch.  But  study  him  just  here. 
He  is  not  wanton  or  rude.  He  is  strong  and  firm ;  but 
it  is  only  mercy ;  only  pure,  benignant  grace.  Still  he 
is  sharp.  His  words  are  as  a  knife.  They  cut  to  the 
nerve.  And  he  is  true.  He  exactly  indicates  their 
fault.  And  he  makes  it  glare.  And  he  is  strong.  They 
cannot  reply.     Here  is  a  place  to  m.editate.     Learn  the 


84  Teacher-Training  icith 

art.  Think  intently  upon  this  plain  and  quiet  illustra- 
tion of  your  Master's  method.  Here  is  teacher-training. 
Here  is  normal  work.  Here  is  pedagogy,  plain  and 
pure. 

3.  Studies  in  combination. 

(a)  Try  to  turn  upon  those  pharisees,  in  one  flash, 
all  the  light  of  this  lesson.  It  is  not  easy;  but  it  will 
pay.  As  they  came  in  and  took  their  places  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord,  they  were  wary  and  ardent,  but  mute — 
the  silence  of  the  spy.  As  the  little  conference  ends, 
they  are  still  mute,  but  dogged  and  dumb — the  silence 
of  the  convict  and  the  dolt.  Keep  scanning  them.  Get 
your  picture  vivid. 

(b)  Try  to  blend  the  traits  of  Christ,  as  a  teacher. 
His  mildness,  insight,  force — and  all  so  spiritual  and 
free  and  pure.     Work  at  this.     You  face  a  radiant  soul. 

(c)  Make  a  place  for  the  joy  and  song  of  the  sick 
man  healed.  In  fact  his  presence  fixes  the  center  of  the 
scene.    Show  how  every  thought  and  act  articulate  here. 


The  Master  Teacher  8^ 


LESSON  XIX. 

When  Pupils  Push  for  Primacy. 

Luke  14  :  7-14. 

I.  The  situation.  It  is  a  feast,  the  same  scene  as  in 
the  last  lesson.  The  feature  that  now  gets  Christ's 
attention  is  the  carefulness  among  the  guests  to  select, 
each  for  himself,  the  honorable  seats.  Here  are  two 
matters  for  thought,;  the  fellowship  of  the  feast;  and  the 
strife  for  the  first  places. 

(a)  What  is  a  feast?  What  does  it  mcanf  Why  are 
they  provided?  Why  are  they  so  popular?  Look  into 
this.  Imagine  the  Saviour's  sentiments  and  engage- 
ments at  a  feast.  Fancy  his  motives  in  going.  What 
would  be  his  spirit  and  manner  in  such  a  place?  Try 
and  imagine  what  features  would  please  him ;  and  at 
what  behavior  he  would  be  grieved.  Keep  at  this.  What 
is  a  feast?  Name  the  essentials.  Surely  they  are  two: 
food  and  fellowship.  Now  put  some  thought  upon  those 
two  things.  Think  of  food.  Think  of  the  nature  of  it,  the 
need  of  it,  the  relish  of  it,  the  nurture  by  it.  Then' think 
of  the  fellowship,  its  freedom,  its  equality,  its  mutual 
respect,  its  partnership.  And  now  mark  narrowly  how 
every  one  of  these  features  of  a  feasting  company  of 
men  point  inevitably  and  unerringly  to  what  is  common. 
They  share  them  all  together.  It  is  of  the  very  essence 
of  the  very  nature  of  a  "feast"  that  all  who  gather  there 
should  share  alike. 

(b)  But  now  study  that  push  for  primacy.  Analyze 
it.  It  is  an  ugly  factor  in  any  feast.  See  what  it  does. 
It  exiles  instantly  all  full  companionship.  Divisions 
are  traced  out  sharply.  Fellow  feasters  fall  apart. 
Grades  and  ranks  are  set  conspicuous.  Emphasis  is  put 
on  differences.  The  dignitaries  swell.  Inferiors  dwindle. 
Distinctions  stare  everywhere.     And  this  at  a  "feast!" 


86  Teacher-Training  u/ith 

As  though  men's  tongues  and  palates  differed !  And  as 
though  division  helped  on  unison ! 

(c)  And  now  watch  the  workings.  Distinctions  at 
a  feast !  Look  into  this.  See  what  emerges,  when  fellow 
feasters  fall  to  fixing  grades.  These  new  and  most 
ungainly  arrivals  will  have  to  be  given  room:  hypocrisy, 
arrogance,  self-consciousness,  swelling,  scorn,  aloofness, 
contempt — this  on  one  side ;  and  resentment,  bitterness, 
dissent,  anger,  hate,  sham  phrases,  false  manners,  empty 
praise,  adulation,  envy,  jealousy,  discouragement,  back- 
biting. More  or  less  of  these  ill-mannered  guests  will 
surely  enter  and  sit  through  any  graded  feast;  and  they 
will  as  surely  sully  the  face  of  its  finest  joy.  Such 
distinctions  are  cruel.  They  are  a  biting  affront.  They 
kindle  anger.  They  smite  love  in  the  very  eye.  And 
they  are  untrue.  They  give  currency  to  counterfeits. 
Sterling  coin  they  retire.  They  are  gross.  They  rate 
things  above  persons.    Jewels  outshine  virtues. 

And  they  are  intolerably  arrogant.  They  usurp  the 
place  of  God.  They  assume  the  right  to  judge  and  fix 
man's  worth  and  lot. 

Such  is  the  issue  of  the  push  for  primacy  at  a  feast. 
It  corrodes  character,  and  it  banishes  fellowship.  Such 
is  the  nature  of  the  situation.    Do  you  agree? 

2.  Christ's  teaching. 

(a)  Observe  that  he  handles  the  matter  directly.  He 
inserts  no  analogy.  And  he  fastens  upon  some  one  indi- 
vidual ;  note  the  singular  "thou."  Probably  he  faced 
and  addressed  some  person  in  particular.  He  narrowed 
his  remarks  down  to  three  men:  the  ambitious  guest, 
some  worthier  guest,  the  host.  He  admonished  of  pos- 
sible humiliation.  He  made  the  issue  turn  on  worth. 
He  advises  lowliness.  He  pictures  the  honor  of  ad- 
vancement by  the  favor  of  the  host,  and  the  deep  joy 
of  its  approbation  by  all  the  guests.  And  finally  he  pub- 
lishes a  general  law  touching  honor. 

(b)  This  teaching,  set  in  the  heart  of  a  feast,  merits 
your  thought.  It  really  embodies  a  philosophy.  It  sets 
in  glaring  contrast  two  traits :  an  ungracious  self-esteem, 
and  a  kind-hearted  lowliness.  One  prefers  himself  be- 
fore all  others;  the  other  prefers  all  others  before  him- 


The  Master  Teacher  8j 

self.  Both  are  imagined  seated -in  the  highest  place: 
one  by  his  own  sole  vote  and  preference ;  the  other  by 
th^  invitation  of  the  host  and  the  unanimous  welcome 
of  the  fellow  guests.  Get  into  this.  Study  the  two 
foundations.  See  how  scant  and  slender  the  support  of 
the  one.  His  dignity  is  based  only  on  his  own  view,  and 
his  own  sole  vote.  See  how  broad  and  sure  the  ground 
which  the  other  holds.  He  has  shown  good-will  to  all, 
referring  all  preference  to  them.  This  touches  every 
man,  and  they  in  turn  give  cheerful  preference  to  him. 
The  man  who  disdains  and  denies  the  worth  of  all  his 
fellows  will  find  them  all  denying  him  congratulations 
and  respect.  The  man  who  honestly  seeks  to  enhance 
the  honor  of  all  will  find  his  own  worth  acknowledged 
by  all.  The  lowliest  are  the  worthiest.  The  haughtiest 
are  the  emptiest.  Cruel  haste  for  primacy  is  sure  to 
end  in  shame.  Gentle  heed  of  all  one's  fellow  guests  is 
sure  of  supreme  respect.  All  this  is  in  the  Master's 
simple  words.  Do  you  doubt  it  ?  Then  weigh  again  that 
word  "chose"  in  v.  7,  noting  that  it  is  the  act  of  the  guest ; 
and  that  phrase  "glory  in  the  presence  of  all"  in  v.  10; 
and  Christ's  view  of  the  inner  quality  of  the  man  who 
voluntarily  and  genuinely  "takes"  the  "lowest  place" 
V.  10.  There  is  a  profound  wisdom  hidden  in  those 
words.    Be  diligent  till  you  surely  find  it. 

(c)  But  see  how  deftly  it  is  done.  It  is  all  so  con- 
crete. You  can  see  the  swollen  dignity  collapse.  You 
can  feel  the  warm  approval,  as  the  guests  do  deference 
to  the  exemplar  of  a  lowly,  kindly  love.  And  it  is  so 
quickly  done.  His  words  are  few.  But  the  task  stands 
complete.  And  it  is  so  wisely  subtle.  There  is  no  self- 
placed  dignitary  but  has  the  uneasy  fear  that  his  precious 
dignity  may  any  moment  be  outranked.  This  lurking 
fear  Christ  vigorously  goads.  And  it  is  all  so  strong. 
These  eager  guests  picked  their  seats  themselves.  Each 
seems  to  deem  his  estimate  and  preference  supreme.  But 
the  Master  more  than  hints  at  the  peril  and  foolhardi- 
ness  of  overriding  their  host.  And  then  his  words  are 
so  surcharged  with  character.  Be  sure  you  do  not 
ignore  or  undervalue  this.  This  peril  is  most  subtle. 
It  lurks  at  every  turn,    Test  it  in  v.  10.     Are  you  sure 


88  Teacher-Training  with 

your  estimate  of  the  man,  who  volunteers  to  take  the 
lowest  seat,  agrees  with  Christ's?  Follow  this  up.  Do 
scenes  like  this  affect  you  as  this  scene  affected  the 
Lord?     Do  you  deeply  believe  v.  ii? 

And  observe  that  this  teaching  is  spontaneous.  It 
came  unasked.  Suppose  Christ  had  postponed  these 
words  until  they  were  desired.  Are  men  likely  to  seek 
or  welcome  such  advice? 

3.  Now  read  vv.  12-14.  Here  the  Master  accosts  the 
host.  Can  you  show  that  the  principle  here  is  identically 
the  same  with  his  counsel  to  the  guest?  It  surely  is. 
Are  you  able  to  work  it  out?  This  deserves  your  re- 
spect. It  will  help  you  to  find  the  relation  of  substance 
and  form  in  your  teaching  work.  Here  is  the  sum  of  the 
whole.  Host  and  guest  alike  must  show  a  strong  and  full 
good-will.  Their  neighborly  kindliness  must  be  absolutely 
unhandicapped,  uncalculating,  unselfish  and  free.  Then 
desert  will  attain  to  dignity,  and  dignity  will  be  de- 
served, and  this  by  the  happy  consent  of  all.  Do  you 
agree  ? 

4.  Special  studies. 

(a)  How  prone  are  men  to  duplicate  this  scene? 
Make  a  study  here,  in  the  presence  of  Christ,  of  a  Chris- 
tian teacher's  opportunity,  duty,  and  task. 

(b)  Christ  points  to  honor.  Note  his  word,  "glory." 
Do  you  suppose  this  goal  lures  you  to  your  work  as  it 
lured  your  Lord? 

(c)  See  how  Christ  makes  reference  to  the  presence 
and  judgment  of  the  crowd.  Take  the  measure  here  of 
those  two  words,  "shame"  (v.  9),  "glory"  (v.  10).  Do 
you  sense  how  he  uses  this  ? 

(d)  Do  not  overlook  the  Saviour's  mention  here  of 
"the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind."  What  im- 
pulses were  working  here?  Are  they  essential  in  any 
teacher  following  Christ? 


The  Master  Teacher  cSp 


LESSON  XX. 

The  Distasteful  Bliss. 

Luke  14  :  15-24. 

1.  The  situation.  The  feast  of  the  last  two  lessons  is 
still  spread.  Keep  in  mind  those  silent  spies,  those  first 
seats,  that  thrifty  host.  But  out  of  it  all  bring  now  to  the 
front  those  allusions  to  "blessedness,"  "recompense," 
and  the  "resurrection  of  the  just,"  in  v.  14.  Here  are 
three  engaging  themes,  all  pointing  to  a  happy  future. 
Instantly  some  feaster  prates  about  the  shining  lelicity 
of  that  future  state,  more  than  intimating  his  own  assur- 
ance of  abundant  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Here  you  ought  to  pause.  Survey  this  company  again. 
Recall  the  last  two  lessons.  And  note  that  in  the  words 
now  rising  towards  Jesus'  lips  there  is  embedded  a 
smarting  rebuke.  There  is  crying  need  of  teaching  still. 
The  Master  is  still  at  table  with  a  crowd  of  unheavenly 
Pharisees,  Review  it  all.  That  biting  query  about  the 
dropsy  still  awaits  reply.  Arrogance  and  pride  still  grip 
the  uppermost  seats.  The  subtle  host  is  still  dressing 
his  plumes.  Think  right  into  this.  Do  you  deem  that 
the  host  forbore  to  forecast  his  manifold  reward ;  or  that 
the  upper  rank  had  really  welcomed  the  lowest  seats ; 
or  that  the  confounded  spies  conceded  their  defeat? 
Beyond  all  doubt  deceit  and  greed  and  cold-heartedness 
on  the  part  of  the  spies,  hot  thirst  for  preference  among 
the  guests,  and  strict  reckoning  of  every  platter  and  sofa 
provided  by  the  host,  were  flourishing  throughout  that 
banqueting-hall  in  vigorous  growth.  xA.nd  the  men  who 
relish  such  unsavory  things  esteem  themselves  to  have 
and  hold  widest  entree  into  heavenly  feasts  and  keenest 
fappetite  for  heavenly  bliss.  This  ugly  anomaly  Jesus 
had  to  face.    Make  sure  whether  this  analysis  is  right. 

2.  Christ's  treatment.  He  instantly  invents  and  ushers 


go  Teacher-Training  with 

in  a  goodly  parable.    It  is  a  princely  example  of  teaching 
skill.     Sit  one  side  and  watch  its  pageant  pass. 

(a)  It  is  accoutered  from  the  Orient.  Catch  every 
aspect  as  it  moves  along.  The  host,  his  lordliness;  the 
hall,  its  amplitude;  the  banquet,  its  munificence;  the 
invitations  to  the  guests,  their  multitude ;  the  servant, 
his  busy  diligence;  the  final  readiness,  its  full  and  fair 
display;  and  in  it  all  the  thoughtful  heed  for  happiness, 
the  grand  attractiveness  of  the  whole.  Give  your  imagi- 
nation play.  Think  of  the  grace  and  charm  and  prac- 
ticed skill  of  eastern  hospitality.  It  embodied  the  prime 
delight,  the  chief  desire,  the  perfect  refuge,  and  the 
choicest  honor  of  oriental  life.  Make  sure  this  beauti- 
ful scene  is  fully  spread  before  your  eye.  Master  so 
far  the  Saviour's  art. 

(b)  But  now,  a  marvel !  When  every  place  is  ready, 
and  all  the  bounty  is  complete,  and  doors  are  all  flung 
open  to  the  guests,  and  all  are  called  to  come — every 
man  declines  !  Now  sit  quietly  down  and  think.  Think 
of  the  East.  Think  of  their  feasts.  Think  of  the  host. 
Think  of  the  servants.  Then  fancy  such  behavior 
from  guests.  It  is  amazing,  amazingly  rude,  amazingly 
strange.  What  was  in  Jesus'  thought?  Watch  him. 
He  points  a  steady  finger,  and  holds  a  steady  eye.  Get 
his  aim.  He  is  in  the  midst  of  a  welUnigh  matchless 
teaching  scene. 

(c)  It  all  stands  open,  in  one  way,  in  the  following 
words  from  the  invited  men :  "I  am  buying  a  field ;  I 
am  testing  a  team ;  I  have  wedded  a  wife ;  I  cannot 
come ;  I  beg  release."  Here  is  the  inmost  core  of  Jesus' 
thought.  Burrow  to  its  heart.  These  men  are  already 
satisfied.  They  are  preoccupied,  well-filled  with  pres- 
ent employment  and  present  content.  Their  days  and 
thoughts  and  hearts  are  full.  The  spice  and  zest  of  life 
are  already  theirs.  They  know  no  hunger.  This  stands 
clear.  But  what  does  it  mean?  Ponder  this.  Do  not 
let  it  drop  for  days.  And  know  what  you  are  ponder- 
ing. This  is  not  the  end  of  the  Master's  thought.  It  is 
only  a  means.  It  is  a  parable.  It  is  a  royal  illustration  of 
a  royal  Teacher's  ingenuity.  Are  you  really  ready  to 
study  it? 


The   Master  Teacher  9/ 

(d)  All  explanation  roots  in  those  former  para- 
graphs. Review  those  lessons  with  both  your  eyes  and 
all  your  heart  intent.  Note  how  in  them  Christ  urges 
the  culture  of  frankness,  pity,  humility  and  uncalculating 
love.  Weigh  over  and  over  those  ponderous  words. 
Every-  one  is  burdened  with  eternal  value.  Do  you 
admit  this?  Set  each  term  in  the  presence  of  those  hints 
of  reward  and  blessedness  and  a  resurrection.  They  are 
the  very  and  only  qualities  fitting  for  that  future  bliss. 
Get  this  sun-clear.  But  for  all  those  qualities  these 
feasters  have  no  taste.  •  They  love  formality,  primacy 
and  generous  recompense.  They  insist  upon  gradation, 
and  generate  ill-will.  These  are  the  things  they  love. 
When  a  banquet  of  heavenly  charity,  sincerity,  humility 
and  purity  is  openly  proposed,  they  spurn  the  feast. 
Just  here,  look  back.  Review  and  rehearse  it  all  again. 
What  is  Christ  trying  to  do?  How  is  he  trying  to  do 
it?  Is  he  doing  it  well?  Persist  in  studying  this.  It 
is  a  close  pursuit  of  a  most  discerning  guide.  It  is  high, 
fine  art. 

(e)  But  now  master  what  the  Saviour  adds.  And 
mind  your  eye.  The  parable  takes  a  mighty  turn.  But 
its  aim  is  just  the  same.  It  doesn't  vary  by  a  Hair.  But 
it  is  a  parable.  Get  all  this  clear.  It  is  a  prime  essen- 
tial in  gaining  a  teacher's  skill.  The  generous  host 
becomes  indignant.  He  cuts  every  rejecter  off.  Not  one 
shall  have  a  taste.  But  his  food  shall  not  go  stale.  He 
proffers  all  its  wealth  to  the  stricken  poor.  None  of  his 
labor  shall  go  for  nought.  For  every  portion  there 
shall  be  a  joyful  guest.  And  all  who  come  shall  shout 
and  sing  and  thrill  with  high,  care-free  festivity.  Now 
do  you  see  the  very  point?  And  does  it  seem  to  you 
to  shine?  And  do  you  see  that  it  is  surpassingly  fin- 
ished and  sharp  ?  The  "poor"  are  hungry.  The 
"maimed"  are  vexed  with  wondering  unrest.  Of  bliss 
and  bounty  there  is  in  their  lean  and  broken  lot  a  piti- 
ful lack.  Open  to  them  a  beautiful,  bountiful  hall,  and 
how  pathetically  instant  and  thankful  their  response ! 
But  still,  this  is  all  a  parable.  Do  not  err  so  fatally 
as  to  admire  its  beauty,  and  miss  its  point.  For  whom 
do  those  lame  and  hungry,  eager  people  stand?     Never 


^        '^        Teacher-Trainrng  with 

for  the  self-satisfied  and  well-content.  Never  for  any 
who  contemn  free  grace.  Never  for  any  who  deny 
that  they  are  forlorn  and  in  desperate  need.  Follow 
this  up. 

(f )  Now  unify  the  whole.  Restate  the  situation.  Re- 
hearse the  parable.  Uncover  its /?oi«f.  Is  this  the  sum? 
Not  the  proud  and  fat  and  unpitying  heart,  but  the 
faint  and  lean  and  broken  soul  will  hail  the  moral  equity 
and  dignity  and  bliss  brought  in  at  the  resurrection  of 
the  just.  Or  this?  Not  for  souls  in  present  plenty, 
but  for  souls  in  present  distress  has  the  bliss  of  heaven 
any  charm.  Or  this?  Not  the  haughty,  heartless,  un- 
repentant hypocrite ;  but  the  open,  tender,  humble  heart 
will  enjoy  the  festal  fellowship  of  Christ. 

3.  Teaching  hints. 

(a)  Mark  Christ's  appreciation.  Everything  is 
familiar. 

(b)  Measure  his  vigor.  See  if  you  detect  all  its 
signs.     He  is  intense. 

(c)  Note  his  aptness.  He  was  at  a  feast.  He  spoke 
of  a  feast. 

(d)  See  how  explicit  he  is — almost  abruptly  so.  In 
the  parable,  as  a  parable,  nothing  is  vague. 

(e)  See  how  self-evident  the  parable  is.  Keep 
within  the  parable  and  all  men  will  judge  it  alike. 

(f)  See  how  he  leaves  his  parable  unexplained.  But 
note  how  irresistibly  it  pushes  every  hearer  to  an  expla- 
nation. 


The   Master  Teacher  pj 


LESSON  XXI. 

Eating  with  Outcasts. 

Luke  15. 

I.  The  occasion  of  this  lesson  was  a  general  move- 
ment of  publicans  and  sinners  towards  Christ.  Note 
that  word  "all"  in  v.  i.  Think  of  the  szveep  of  the 
Lord's  power.  Note  that  phrase  "drawing  near."  Think 
of  the  nature  of  the  Lord's  power.  It  was  attraction. 
Among  men  Christ's  influence  is  centripetal.  He  engen- 
ders a  feeling  for  fellowship.  Think  of  the  field  of  the 
Lord's  power.  It  was  among  sinners  and  publicans — 
men  deemed  outcasts,  men  whom  cultured  people  spurn. 

(a)  Try  to  make  this  real  to  your  mind.  Think  of 
Christ's  tone  and  style  and  theme ;  his  voice  and  eye  and 
hand;  his  grief  and  joy  and  zeal;  his  direct  and  gentle 
address;  his  warm  and  genial  friendliness;  his  strong 
and  deep  compassions ;  his  healthy  mingling  of  abhor- 
rence and  affection  for  men  in  sin ;  his  instant  sympathy 
with  the  contrite ;  his  genuine  and  easy  companionship 
with  the  lowly  and  despised ;  his  hot  resentment  of 
haughtiness  and  all  abuse;  his  gracious  and  winsome 
overtures  from  God ;  his  plain  and  faithful  mention  of 
impending  wrath ;  his  splendid  manliness,  so  honest, 
reverential,  kind  and  pure ;  and  all  so  noble,  faithful, 
spiritual  and  strong.  Get  all  this  in  motion  before  your 
eye.  Conceive  it  working  freely  among  those  outcast 
men.  They  had  noted  all  his  grace  and  excellence ;  and 
the  glory  of  it  had  aroused  and  set  erect  all  the  inert 
manliness  in  men  whose  daily  portion  among  their  fellow- 
men  had  been  unfriendliness  and  cold  contempt.  And 
the  outcome  was  a  joyful  round  of  friendly  feasts.  The 
humane  and  heavenly  Lord,  and  the  sin-stained  outcasts 
of  his  day  were  socially  at  one.  This  caused  offense. 
The  proud  and  well-trained  sticklers  for  traditions  and 


94  Teacher-Tramin^  icith 

forms,  the  cultured  aristocrats  of  the  day  grumbled. 
And  they  kept  it  up.  For  every  succeeding  happy  feast 
they  felt  a  heightened  resentment  and  discontent. 

(b)  Study  searchingly  into  this.  Study  till  your 
heart  begins  to  burn.  Make  the  contrasts  wide.  Get  the 
edges  sharp.  Do  not  mince.  Here  if  anywhere  Jesus 
was  uncompromising  and  plain.  Get  clear  and  positive 
like  him.  Get  clear,  and  be  honest,  and  speak  it  out. 
Jesus  abominates  class  arrogance.  He  never  spares 
self-righteousness.  He  cherishes  nestling  penitence.  He 
always  bastes  a  pharisee.  He  always  comforts  lowli- 
ness. Behold  him  in  this  chapter.  It  i^,  a  famous  land- 
scape. And  Jesus  is  as  a  rising  sun — all  aglow  with 
zeal,  all  agleam  with  grace.  But  these  spleeny  pharisees 
despise  his  grace.  Now  observe  his  zeal.  Jesus  is  to 
defend  his  grace.  Here  is  the  chapter  where  the  Master's 
teaching  art  stands  in  the  majesty  and  light  of  a  high 
noon. 

2.  The  Saviour's  answer.  His  reply  and  rebuff  are 
threefold.  He  fashions  on  the  spot  three  parables.  Each 
parable  of  the  three  contains  three  themes :  a  loss,  a  sor- 
row, a  joy.  Now  it  all  revolves  about  a  coin,  now  a 
sheep,  now  a  son.  All  three  are  lost,  all  three  are 
mourned,  all  three  are  found. 

(a)  Note  the  loss.  The  coin  is  gone;  its  value  is 
annulled.  The  sheep  is  astray ;  it  has  no  worth.  The  son 
is  profligate ;  his  manliness  is  all  laid  waste.  This  note 
is  fundamental.  Make  sure  its  resonance  is  full.  But 
what  does  Jesus  mean  by  that  word  "lost"?  Would  he 
and  the  pharisees  agree?  In  some  sort,  yes.  He  would 
agree  with  them,  they  would  agree  with  him  that 
precious  value  had  gone  to  waste.  But  would  they  agree 
with  Christ  in  his  mighty  sense  of  the  preciousness  of 
that  vanished  thing?     Think  here. 

(b)  Feel  his  grief.  The  coin,  the  sheep,  the  son  had 
worth,  even  when  at  waste.  Here  you  need  to  have 
deep  fellowship  with  Christ.  For  those  pharisees,  no 
open  harlot  or  hateful  publican  had  any  worth.  But 
Christ  had  vivid  sense  of  value  there,  though  sadly  gone 
to  wreck.  No  evil,  sodden  life  but  would  stir  in  him  a 
piercing,  ceaseless,  heavy  pain.     Get  a  sense  of  this.     It 


The  Master  Teacher 


95 


is  the  very  genius  of  his  art.  It  is  the  key  to  all  he 
says  and  thinks.  It  is  the  spring  of  all  these  parables. 
For  every  wasted,  outcast  life  he  feels  real  love  and 
pride.  Hence  each  parable.  This,  precisely  this  taught 
him  all  this  skill.  But  for  that  deep,  full  mingling  of 
pride  and  love  and  pain,  Jesus  had  been  a  pharisee. 
These  parables  would  never  have  been  conceived.  Get 
hold  of  this.  Here  coils  the  mainspring  of  your 
Master's  teaching  skill.  He  loved  the  publican.  He 
prized  the  harlot.  In  every  human  wreck  he  detected 
treasure  store  of  human  worth.  Hence  those  matchless 
parables.  The  coin  was  worth  the  candle.  The  sheep 
was  worth  the  search.  The  son  was  worth  the  fatted 
calf.  Hence  those  feasts.  Hence  this  grand  defense. 
Hence  his  teaching  skill.  It  is  simply  the  rebound  of  his 
deep,  true  love.  Con  it  over  and  over.  Get  your  Sav- 
iour's sense  of  the  worth  of  what  was  lost.  That  coin 
was  sterling.  That  sheep  was  life's  support,  the  shep- 
herd's pride.  That  son  was  the  offspring  and  girdle  of 
his  father's  loins.  The  worth  of  unworthy  men — this  is 
his  theme. 

(c)  Now  catch  his  note  of  joy.  See  it  work  its 
utterance  out  in  fellowship.  The  woman  tells  her 
friends.  The  shepherd  calls  in  neighbors.  The  father 
makes  festal  jubilee.  And  all  for  joy.  But  note.  Just 
this  festal  happiness  stirred  all  that  grumbling.  Now 
are  you  sure  you  find  the  burnished  point  of  it  all?  It 
is  sharply,  simply  this:  Is  every  man  worth  saving? 
Is  every  one  worth  visiting?  Then  get  quickly  at  it. 
And  soon  deep  hearts  will  flow  together.  And  the 
crest  of  human  happiness  will  be  reached.  The  harlot 
will  turn  pure.  The  publican  will  grow  true  and  kind. 
Estranged  hearts  will  be  reconciled.  Then  there  will  be 
high  joy  in  heaven,  and  precious  festal  foretastes  here  on 
earth.    What  a  glowing  theme  !     And  what  shining  art ! 

(d)  But  all  is  keyed  to  grace.  Every  parable  is  but 
an  ample  and  inviting  highway  to  the  beautiful  gateway 
of  penitence.  Do  not  fail  to  see  and  go  where  the 
Master  of  heavenly  mercy  leads.  His  only  aim  in  enter- 
ing those  feasts  is  to  lure  every  feaster  to  a  better  life. 
He  mourns  their  shame.    They  must  reform.    He  loathes 


p6  Teacher 'Training  wih 

their  dark  wrong.  They  must  reform.  Watch  his  hand- 
Hng  of  the  prodigal  son.  It  is  all  pure  fancy.  See  him 
paint  in  that  deep  rich  glow  of  filial  love  as  the  prodi- 
gal returns.  To  all  eternity  that  beautiful  hue  will 
never  fade.  And  as  an  answer  to  those  grumblers,  its 
finished  art  is  absolute.  Tarry  here.  That  picture  of 
the  returning  prodigal,  as  a  model  of  teaching  skill,  will 
never  have  a  peer.  It  is  the  Master  Teacher's  master- 
piece. As  a  warrant  for  those  feasts  with  harlots  it  is 
impregnable.  As  an  answer  to  those  pharisees  it  is 
irresistible.  As  a  banner  to  hang  forever  above  his 
form  its  living  texture  is  imperishable.  Now  struggle 
for  your  life  to  feel  Christ's  art,  and  to  find  its  source. 
What  was  the  secret  of  his  skill  ?  It  was  his  zeal  to 
save.  He  carried  infinite  store  of  sacrificial  love.  He 
burned  with  zeal  for  righteousness.  He  loathed  every 
shade  of  sin.  Hence  all  his  popularity  among  those 
shadowed  lives.  Hence  all  his  skill  in  framing  parables. 
3.  Special  studies. 

(a)  Walk  about  his  answer.  See  its  fullness;  he 
flashes  out  in  three  replies.  He  weaves  three  tapestries, 
with  figures  totally  unlike.  See  its  unity ;  the  three  are 
one.  Each  aids  the  other  two  to  drive  one  lesson  home. 
See  its  victory :  no  man  can  fashion  a  living  reply. 
Try  it.  See  its  finality :  no  man  has  ever  added  a  word. 
Try  it.     See  its  beauty :  every  figure  is  a  gem. 

(b)  See  his  strong  wisdom.  He  points  to  the  cur- 
rency, the  herd,  the  home.  He  probes  into  all  the  deep 
interiors  of  human  life.  And  nothing  is  of  transient 
worth.  He  grasps  and  stirs  the  main  instincts  of  man. 
He  knows  and  he  uses  what  is  in  man. 

(c)  See  how  his  answer  leaves  his  critics.  Describe 
them  in  the  light  of  this  reply. 

(d)  But  his  appeal  must  fail.  But  it  is  unanswer- 
able.    What  do  you  say? 


The   Master  Teacher  97 


LESSON  XXII. 

Luxury  vs.  Charity:  A  Life  Choice. 

Mark  10  :  17-22. 

1.  The  youth.  He  was  eager,  courteous,  open,  influ- 
ential, moral,  attractive,  wealthy,  uncontent,  selfish,  mi- 
serly, unspiritual,  unchristlike.  Here  is  a  study  worth 
any  man's  time.  Test  each  adjective  above  searchingly. 
Then  think:  Why  was  he  in  unrest?  Why  did  he 
come  hasting  to  Christ  with  such  a  query?  This,  too, 
needs  answering.  Something  was  disturbing,  driving 
him.  Something  was  impressing,  attracting  him.  Do 
you  think  there  was  in  him  any  inward  dishonesty  with 
himself?  Or  can  you  name  any  unconscious  error  in 
which  he  was  probably  wandering?  Probe  carefully 
here.  Where  was  his  nature's  center?  He  had  a 
hoard  of  perishable  things.  He  had  a  priceless,  undy- 
ing soul.  Which  was  practically  weighing  heaviest  in  his 
life? 

2.  Christ's  treatment,  (a)  He  enjoins  the  old  Com- 
mandments. Do  not  overlook  this  act.  Jesus  resorts  to 
ancient  Hebrew  Scripture  in  a  momentous  current  case 
of  practical  life.  He  finds  in  that  ancient  law  enough. 
In  a  similar  case  would  you  probably  pursue  a  similar 
course?  Now  get  to  thinking.  What  was  the  Saviour 
designing  here?  What  was  his  idea?  Was  he  trying 
and  meaning  to  show  the  way  ta  the  kingdom  easy  and 
short ;  or  was  he  aiming  to  show  that  the  path  was  hard 
and  far?  Here  are  deep  inquiries.  They  demand  plain 
answer.  What  was  Christ's  design?  Was  he  working 
to  soothe  or  to  deepen  this  youth's  unrest? 

(b)  Now  probe  the  youth's  reply:  "All  these  have 
I  always  kept."  Get  the  tone  of  those  words.  Do  they 
ring  with  moral  earnestness?  Or  are  they  the  utterance 
of  a  pharisee?     Which  was  it,  the  note  of  devotion,  or 


9<S  Teacher-Training  with 

delusion,  or  dishonesty?  If  he  was,  in  fact,  a  moral 
devotee,  how  did  that  zeal  fail  so  suddenly  before  the 
Lord's  final  counsel?  If  he  was  in  error  of  thought, 
but  of  honest  purpose,  why  again  did  his  honesty  fail, 
when  he  turned  away  from  Christ?  Was  he  then  dis- 
honest, perhaps  unconsciously  so?  But  how  could  he 
fail  to  see  his  neighbor's  need,  and  the  open  beauty  of 
Christ's  unfailing  charity?  Do  not  evade  these  ques- 
tions. They  demand  the  respect  of  any  earnest,  would- 
be  counsellor  of  men.  The  teacher  and  guide  whose 
work  is  wise  and  whose  word  is  apt  wiH  have  expert 
skill  in  diagnosis.  Such  indubitably  was  Christ.  Study 
your  man. 

(c)  Now  walk  all  about  the  Saviour's  response  (v. 
21 ).  It  is  the  lighted  candle  in  this  whole  lesson.  He 
counsels  a  work  of  thorough-going  charity.  He  bids  the 
youth  sell  all  he  has,  and  give  to  the  poor.  He  adds  two 
thoughts.  Heed  them  well.  He  pledges  heavenly  riches ; 
he  invites  to  follow  him.  Here  are  three  themes  for  the 
rich  youth's  thought :  the  needy  poor ;  the  career  of 
Christ ;  the  store  of  treasures  above.  These  are  all  pro- 
posed to  his  attention  with  the  design  of  partmg  the 
ruler  from  his  wealth. 

This  proposal  the  man  declines,  with  frowning  face 
and  sorrowing  heart. 

3.  Now  here  is  the  place  to  reach  definite  answer  to 
the  questions  left  pending  above.  What  kind  of  a  man 
has  the  Lord  in  hand?  Work  towards  the  center  of  the 
scene  by  diverse  paths.  To  what,  from  what,  hy  what, 
whom  was  Jesus  leading? 

(a)  Study  the  forces  he  brings  to  play:  the  needs 
and  bonds  and  joys  of  the  poor;  the  heavenly  gains;  his 
own  companionship.  Tarry  here.  What  is  the  range 
and  value  of  these  themes  as  they  lie  ordered  and  opened 
in  the  Master's  mind.  Why  were  they  mentioned? 
What  do  they  mean?  At  what  do  they  drive?  Towards 
what  do  they  lure?  Answer  this.  Christ's  eye  and 
thought  and  will  were  fixed.  That  is  clear.  But  on 
rvhatf 

(b)  Study  the  youth  again.  Think  of  his  style  and 
guise,  of  his  wardrobe  and  larder,  of  his  equipage  and 


The   Master  Teacher  ^ 

servants,  of  his  tastes  and  employments,  of  his  solitudes 
and  friendships.  Think  of  his  transient  moods.  Think 
of  his  pure  spiritual  being,  his  immortal  part.  Now 
among  all  these  things,  what  centered  and  held  the 
Saviour's  eye?  Precisely  at  what  did  the  Master 
point?  Think  again  of  those  hoards  of  goods,  those 
waiting  human  poor,  those  heavenly  stores,  Christ's 
work  and  way.  Here  are  four  realities.  Get  each  one  to 
stand  full  size,  full  height.  Now  think.  What  is  going 
on? 

(c)  Now  think  again.  Ponder  those  contrasted 
values.  Those  goods:  at  best  they  were  only  transient; 
at  most  they  were  only  means.  Those  human  poor,  the 
lordly,  kindly  Christ:  they  had  lasting  worth;  they 
were  ends,  that  all  endure,  undying  and  undimmed. 
That  youth :  viewed  once  and  hastily,  he  is  a  perishing 
mortal,  needing  wealth  of  food  and  raiment  and  chang- 
ing cheer;  but  viewed  again  and  carefully,  he  is  a 
deathless  being,  close-knit  in  brotherhood  of  other  men, 
capable  of  high  fellowship  with  Christ,  a  fair  candidate 
for  heaven. 

(d)  Now  judge  the  youth.  Scan  these  values.  Get 
close  to  Christ.  What  is  afoot?  Is  it  this?  Christ  was 
probing  to  see  which  was  weightiest  and  lordliest  in  that 
young  life :  the  body  or  the  soul,  the  dying  or  the  endur- 
ing, the  means  or  the  end,  the  vital  or  the  formal,  the 
moral  or  the  carnal,  the  human  or  the  animal,  the  sordid 
or  the  spiritual.  Or  was  it  this?  He  was  forcing  the 
youth  to  show  whether  he  was  selfish  or  fraternal,  seclu- 
sive  or  social,  cold  blooded  or  compassionate.  Review 
all  this.  The  question  and  the  issue  are  all  shut  up  in 
the  grip  of  those  goods.  Will  he  hold  an  utter  dominion 
over  them ;  or  will  they  hold  an  utter  dominion  over 
him?  A  straight,  firm  answer  just  here  will  tell  pre- 
cisely whether  or  not  he  is  fit  for  a  place  with  Christ, 
in  heaven,  and  among  his  kind. 

(e)  Now  open  all  your  mind  to  the  outcome.  The 
youth  prefers  his  goods.  He  spurns  his  neighbor's  cry, 
the  Saviour's  lead,  the  spiritual  wealth  of  heavenly  life. 
This  crude  decision  shows  his  inner  grain.  And  it  forces 
a  precise  opinion  of  his  worth. 


lOO  Teacher-Traming  with 

4.  Teaching  qualities. 

(a)  The  severity.  Christ  surely  made  the  issue 
infinitely  grave.  Might  he  have  been  more  moderate? 
Do  not  answer  hastily. 

(b)  The  graciousness.  That  allusion  to  the  poor. 
Can  you  define  its  quality?  That  mention  of  the  heav- 
enly wealth.  Can  you  describe  its  tone?  That  invitation 
to  discipleship.  Did  it  wear  a  genial  guise?  Where, 
then,  was  the  severity? 

(c)  The  wisdom.  Was  the  Lord  discreet?  From 
first  to  last  were  his  words  well  said?  No  true  teacher 
will  trifle  here. 

(d)  The  power.  The  Master  set  an  ultimatum. 
Watch  the  young  man  face  it.  Do  you  suppose  he  wel- 
comed it?  Do  you  see  how  he  could  evade  it?  How  did 
Jesus  get  that  so  fixed?  Here  again,  any  earnest 
teacher  will  be  in  earnest. 

(e)  The  growth.  Watch  this  incident  unfold.  Why 
did  it  not  take  some  other  form?  Relate  the  Master's 
words  to  the  Master's  life,  and  see  if  you  can  show 
how  they  connect.  He  simply  could  not  do  otherwise. 
Imagine  Jesus  loving  luxury,  hating  charity.  Would 
he,  then,  have  faced  and  forced  the  issue  as  he  did? 
•What  query  follows  next? 


The   Master  Teacher  loi 


LESSON  XXIII. 

The  Lure  of  Wealth. 

Mark  lo  :  23-31. 

I.  Christ's  comment,  as  the  young  ruler  retires.  "Only 
at  dire  pains  can  a  man  of  wealth  enter  the  kingdom  of 
God." 

(a)  Fix  the  occasion.  The  rich  youth  declines  the 
kingdom  rather  than  surrender  his  goods.  He  is  sidhng 
awkwardly  away.  Christ  takes  note  of  all  his  darken- 
ing selfishness.  He  has  offered  to  the  man  his  own 
companionship,  the  wealth  of  heaven,  all  the  unmixed 
joy  of  human  charity.  He  deeply  knows  the  values 
he  presents.  But  the  youth  has  turned  his  back.  And 
now  the  Master  faces  towards  his  followers.  They  have 
watched  the  battle,  and  seen  the  youth  withdraw,  and 
heard  the  Saviour's  solemn  estimate.  They  utter  their 
dismay.  It  seems  to  close  to  men  of  wealth  the  door  of 
life.  Right  here  you  may  wisely  pause  and  learn  to  use 
your  eye.  It  is  a  critical  teaching  scene.  The  engag- 
ing youth  has  not  been  won;  his  own  disciples  are  in  a 
maze  of  wonder.    What  will  the  Master  do? 

(b)  He  reiterates  his  awful  word,  but  with  aug- 
mented accent  and  solemnity.  Take  the  measure  of  his 
stately  deliberateness.  Weigh  its  dreadful  burden.  "To 
save  a  rich  man  is  all  but  hopeless.  God  must  inter- 
vene." Mark  Christ's  rigor  here.  The  disciples  are 
stunned.  The  youth  is  verging  beyond  Christ's  call  or 
reach.  The  outcome  is  awful.  It  is  of  the  Lord's  own 
conscious  ordering.  But  he  leaves  it  fixed.  He  does  not 
recall  the  youth,  nor  relieve  his  disciples.  It  is  a  mighty 
scene.  But  watch  the  Lord.  Get  the  surge  of  his  heart. 
He  is  in  evident  agony.  But  he  doesn't  bend.  He  knows 
what  he  has  met.  See  the  darting  directness  of  his 
thought.     His  eye  looks  straight  at  the  power  and  spell 


I02  Teacher -Training  with 

of  wealth.  He  has  found  its  dominion  all  but  absolute. 
The  Master  is  at  a  crisis  of  his  work.  Watch  his 
method.    Look  for  mighty  words.    Learn  how  to  teach. 

(c)  But  keep  in  mind  the  vanishing  ruler.  His 
preference  is  the  background  of  all  this  scene.  His 
love  for  goods  outranked  his  love  for  Christ  or  man  or 
heaven.  In  the  final  choice  his  spirit's  strength  col- 
lapsed ;  his  love  of  selfish,  carnal  luxury  took  the  throne. 
The  glint  of  gold,  the  revel  of  high  feasts,  soft  ease 
have  outshone  and  overcome  the  light  of  heaven,  the 
face  of  Christ,  and  the  benediction  of  the  poor.  Has 
the  Master  been  really  wise?  Must  the  issue  be  so  stern, 
must  his  teaching  be  so  grave?  In  a  final  conflict,  where 
will  Jesus  fix  his  final  stand?  What  is  the  inmost  text- 
ure of  his  truth?  Where  must  the  Teacher  ultimately 
be  found?  All  this  is  here  at  stake.  No  case  could 
be  more  vital.  No  situation  could  be  more  grave.  The 
Master  Teacher  faces  a  mighty  shock.  Watch  how  he 
plants  his  feet. 

2.  The  kingdom's  cost  and  reward. 

(a)  Study  Peter's  question.  He  sees  what  the  king- 
dom costs.  Its  exactions  are  absolute.  In  any  final 
strife  between  the  kingdom  and  one's  possessions,  the 
surrender  of  the  latter  must  be  complete.  This  sur- 
render he  affirms  the  disciples  to  have  made.  As  he 
interprets  Christ,  this  is  the  kingdom's  price. 

And  now  he  asks  a  strenuous  question.  "Having 
surrendered  all,  what  is  our  reward?"  Is  this  correctly 
stated?  Get  clear.  Did  Peter  rightly  understand  the 
Lord?  Make  sure.  Did  the  Lord  intend  to  shape  the 
issue  so?  Decide  this  carefully.  If  so,  was  the  Master 
wise?  Was  he  really  prudent  with  that  youth?  Were 
his  succeeding  words  none  too  tense?  The  ruler's  face 
is  covered  with  a  frown,  and  he  is  wholly  gone.  The 
disciples'  hearts  are  full  of  wondering  fears.  Is  this  way 
of  teaching  to  be  approved?  Would  you  advise  some 
alteration  in  his  words  or  ways? 

(b)  All  turns  on  Christ's  reply.  Get  in  step,  as  he 
proceeds.  Every  position  he  assumes  has  prodigious 
purport.  Will  his  assertions  relax?  Will  he  grant  to 
earthly  wealth  some  sway  ?    Will  he  moderate  somewhat 


The  Master  Teacher 


">3 


the  kingdom's  claim?  Will  he  counsel  some  com- 
promise with  the  wealthy  ruler's  frown,  and  yield  con- 
cessions to  the  disciples'  anxious  fears?  Search  every 
item,  as  he  goes  on.  It  is  the  Master  Teacher  in  a 
momentous  scene.  He  is  dealing  with  a  living  man.  He 
is  equipping  his  own  apostles.  Millions  more  his  teach- 
ings implicate. 

(c)  The  kingdom's  cost.  Catch  every  wor-d.  See  if 
they  modify  the  ruler's  terms.  Then  it  was  "sell  all  thou 
hast."  Now  it  is  "forsaken  house  or  brothers  or  sisters 
or  mother  or  father  or  fields."  Clearly  no  relaxing.  All 
he  said  before,  he  stands  by  still.  All  earthly  bonds, 
the  very  closest,  must  be  unclasped.  The  kingdom's 
claims  must  stand  supreme.  Some  time  you  will  have  to 
ponder  this,  if  you  teach  for  Christ. 

(dj  The  kingdom's  reward.  Mark  every  word.  Be 
fully  fair  with  your  Lord.  Give  every  term  its  normal 
sweep.  See  what  this  requires.  Nothing  but  years, 
eventful  years,  far-reaching  years,  the  years  of  eternal 
life  will  enable  any  man  to  inventory  and  appreciate  the 
freightage  of  these  words.  And  deep  fellowship  and 
sympathy  with  the  Master  are  requisite,  too.  What  he 
intends  by  that  "hundred-fold"  of  houses  and  fields  and 
ofifspring  and  kindred  friends,  only  love  and  pride  and 
joys  like  Christ's  can  ever  understand.  Look  over  those 
words  again.  Look  into  them.  Imagine  teachers  filled 
and  fired  with  their  full  power. 

(e)  The  kingdom's  tenure.  For  every  one  who  pays 
the  cost,  it  is  unfailing  and  absolute.  "There  is  no  one 
but  shall  receive  it."  Get  the  clear,  full  strength  of  this 
assertion.  It  rings  with  victory.  Imagine  that  note  in 
every  teacher's  voice. 

3.  Now  review  the  whole.  Here  is  a  teaching  scene 
in  which  the  tenet  taught  was  felt  by  the  youth,  and  by 
the  disciple  band,  and  by  uncounted  multitudes  ever 
since  all  but  intolerably  severe.  And  its  rigor  stands 
unbent  from  first  to  last.  But  mark  the  manner. 
Through  it  all,  does  Christ's  'unchanging  stand  seem 
chiefly  stern  or  chiefly  kind?  Try  to  answer  this.  What 
passions  were  stirring  in  the  Saviour's  breast?  Look 
deeply  here.     Keep  looking.     Read  it  all  repeatedly.     In 


I04  Teacher-Training  icith 

it  all  was  the  Lord  anything  other  than  a  pure  and  Godly 
soul,  radiant  with  truth  and  love?  Do  not  be  heedless 
and  limp,  leaning  on  another  man.  Brace  your  spirit 
to  a  precise  and  independent  reply.  Study  your  Master's 
manner.  How  round  and  full  his  tone !  In  no  single 
phrase  or  syllable  does  he  waver  or  wince.  His  assur- 
ance is  unlimited.  And  he  is  explicit  to  the  last  degree. 
His  was  a  style  in  which  authority  rose  to  the  note  of 
majesty.  How  overwhelming  is  his  onset!  When  he  is 
done,  no  further  challenge  is  in  place.  Attempt  it.  It 
is  for  every  one  to  listen  and  welcome  and  be  still. 
Then  feel  the  completeness  of  his  human  sympathy.  All 
man's  normal  cravings  are  given  full  respect.  Nay,  for 
every  self-denial  there  is  a  hundred-fold  return,  and 
that  in  kind.  Then  see  the  glow  and  unwasting  life  of 
that  pure  motive — for  pure  love  of  Christ. 

And  now  attempt  an  outline  of  your  Lord  as  he 
figures  in  this  scene.  Test  this,  scrutinizing  every  adverb 
and  adjective:  He  is  supremely  grave,  immutably  firm, 
invincibly  true,  overwhelmingly  strong,  incomparably 
kind.  Are  not  these  phrases,  or  others  of  equal  gran- 
deur and  range,  minutely  true,  despite  that  young  man's 
frown,  those  disciples'  fears,  and  all  the  subsequent  long 
ages  of  dislike?  The  Master  Teacher  is  a  teaching 
model  still. 


The   Master  Teacher  lo^ 


LESSON  XXIV. 
The  Last  First. 

Matt.  20  :  1-16. 

1.  The  occasion.  Here  comes  a  unique  parable,  an 
exceptionally  choice  example  of  his  teaching  art.  Study 
all  the  surroundings  to  find  what  led  to  its  invention. 
The  key  to  its  heart  lies  in  the  dismay  of  the  disciples 
at  seeing  the  moral  young  ruler's  repulse.  Rehearse  that 
attentively,  noting  thoughtfully  the  youth's  apparent 
excellence.  He  was  a  genial  nature,  of  an  orderly  life, 
and  flattering  position  and  repute.  Surely  he  was  a 
promising  candidate  for  a  goodly  place  in  the  Master's 
train.  But  even  he  has  been  repulsed  by  the  Lord's  too 
snug  demands.  But  his  outlook  was  first  class.  Reject 
him,  and  who  can  be  saved?  Such  thoughts  were  in  the 
disciples'  mind.  Thus  were  they  bewildered  and  cast 
down.  So  now  the  Saviour  has  to  round  out  his  work 
and  make  his  whole  intention  plain.    Hence  this  parable. 

2.  Study  the  parable,  as  it  stands.  It  contains  a 
strange  device.  Yet  all  is  perfectly  plain.  Its  central 
themes  are  toil  and  wage,  or  work  and  pay,  or  earning 
and  claim,  or  value  given  for  value  received.  Make 
your  analysis  closely  precise,  keeping  fully  in  mind  that 
departing  youth,  and  those  amazed  disciples.  It  is  a 
rarely  fine  example  of  how  to  teach.  And  the  Master 
is  a  genius  in  this  art.  Lay  it  open.  A  vineyard  called 
for  culture.  Men  were  hired  and  set  to  work.  They 
entered  and  freely  spent  their  strength.  At  the  close 
of  the  day  they  were  lined  up  for  pay.  This  developed 
strife.  Some  had  toiled  all  day.  Some  had  labored  but 
a  single  hour.  Their  work  and  earnings  were  palpably 
unlike.  This  raised  the  question  of  merit.  It  was  by  no 
means  even.  On  the  score  of  merit,  the  faithful,  all- 
day  toiler  deserved  a  larger  wage  than  men  who  idled 


io6  Teacher-Traming  with 

eleven  useless  hours.  But  the  master  of  the  vineyard 
ordered  that  all  be  paid  alike ;  and  he  strangely  stipu- 
lated that  the  reckoning  begin  with  those  M^hose  merit 
from  actual  toil  was  least  of  all.  Such  is  the  parable,  as 
it  stands. 

3.  But  it  is  a  parable.  What  now  can  it  mean?  Why 
was  such  an  iniquitous  scene  ever  invented  by  Christ? 
As  a  sample  of  social  economics  it  is  glaringly  wrong. 
But,  as  Jesus  fashions  it,  every  stroke  is  perfectly  steady 
and  sure.  Its  ethics  are  as  plain  as  they  are  perverse. 
Obviously  the  Lord  designed  that  the  inequality  should 
not  possibly  be  overlooked.  But  some  clear  intention  as 
clearly  lies  perfectly  under  his  mastery.  What  is  he 
trying  to  teach  ?  Why  is  he  teaching  it  thus  ?  And 
teaching  it  thus,  is  his  teaching  likely  to  succeed?  Be 
sure  you  deal  worthily  here.  Do  not  forget  where  this 
parable  is  set.  It  is  designed  by  Christ  to  stand  squarely 
in  front  of  that  ruler's  frown  and  those  disciples'  fears. 
The  three  must  be  studied  together.  It  is  a  striking 
group  from  the  hand  of  a  Master.  And  the  issues  are 
eternal  life,  and  immortal  men,  and  human  poor,  and 
the  leadership  of  Christ,  and  the  magical  spell  of  wealth. 
Do  not  forget.  It  is  a  group.  Now  what  does  the  parable 
mean  ? 

(a)  All  turns  on  that  striking  epigram :  "Many 
shall  be  last  that  are  first ;  and  first  that  are  last."  Mark 
its  repetition.  See  where  it  stands.  It  attends  the  par- 
able on  either  hand.  Between  the  two  the  parable 
swings.  They  are  the  poles  of  the  axis  upon  which 
it  turns.  And  they  sturdily  uphold  all  that  the  parable 
involves.  Whatever  anomaly  the  parable  contains,  no 
anomaly  could  be  more  glaring  than  the  one  this  epi- 
gram is  made  twice  to  affirm.  It  is  doubly,  if  not  trebly 
evident  that  Jesus  intends  the  strange  perversion  which 
he  has  made  his  parable  embrace. 

(b)  Now  look  back  to  that  upright  and  unchristlike 
youth.  Which  laborer  does  he  represent?  Plainly,  the 
man  who  toiled  all  day.  From  his  very  youth  he  has 
been  keeping  the  commandments.  Through  all  his  life's 
open  day  he  has  been  laboring  to  deserve  and  command 
highest    respect.      As    he   confronted    Christ,    he    was   a 


The   Master  Teacher  loy 

white-guised  dignitary,  vested  with  all  the  insignia  of 
general  respect.  And  his  honors  were  deserved.  He 
was  properly  of  the  first.  Think  here  of  the  youth 
and  of  the  parable  together  and  in  detail.  Think  of  the 
toil,  the  aim,  the  claim.  And  do  not  forget  him  who 
faced" and  tested  and  judged  that  youth,  and  then,  on  the 
spot,  devised  this  parable.  What  is  your  opinion  of  th€ 
teaching  ingenuity  of  his  mind.  See  the  breadth  and 
accuracy  of  his  deft  mind. 

(c)  But  now  review  that  epigram  and  parable  and 
ruler  again.  And  bring  those  humble  disciples  well  into 
view.  All  men  adjudge  that  ruler  among  the  "first." 
But  see  the  Lord  apply  to  that  ruler's  scrupulous 
life  the  even  scale  of  his  own  benignant,  Godly,  self- 
denying  ministry.  Be  watchful.  See  all  that  young 
man's  dignities  and  excellences  depreciate.  He  has 
no  joy  in  heavenly  store.  He  has  no  zeal  of  admiration 
of  Christ.  He  has  no  burden  of  pain  for  human  want, 
no  high  desire  towards  a  brother's  joy.  In  all  these 
things  he  stood  outranked  by  Christ  whom  he  squarely 
spurned,  and  by  all  the  devoted  disciple  band.  Compare 
him  with  the  adulterer  and  slanderer  and  thief,  and,  as 
human  estimates  commonly  run,  he  is  rated  "first,"  and 
they  stand  plainly  "last."  But  when  he  clothed  his  face 
with  that  unchristlike,  unheavenly,  and  uncharitable 
frown  in  the  presence  of  men  who  lamented  their  sin, 
and  stood  ready  to  follow  the  Master  anywhere,  and 
imitate  at  any  cost  his  humble  and  holy  life,  he  rated 
"last,"  and  they  stood  plainly  "first."  Follow  this  up. 
Stick  fast  to  the  simple,  awful  fact  that  the  moralist 
spurned  to  follow  Christ,  or  feed  the  poor,  or  welcome 
heaven's  spiritual  joys.  As  he  came  to  Christ,  how  did 
he  rate  himself?  As  he  turned  away,  how  must  he 
be  classed? 

(d)  This  is  the  outline,  and  this  the  animus  of  this 
odd  parable.  Jesus  came  for  sinners.  He  looked  for 
the  "last."  His  work  is  a  ministry  of  saving  grace.  His 
eye  is  unceasingly  and  unerringly  on  sin.  His  impulse 
is  irrepressibly  towards  redeeming  and  forgiving  love. 
His  deep  discernment  sees  far  beneath  all  forms.  He 
detects  underneath  the  rich  youth's  fine  proprieties  an 


toS  Teacher-Training  icith 

unkindly  heart,  an  unchristlike  aim,  an  unheavenly  taste. 
With  all  his  fine  exterior  he  was  a  sad  and  sodden 
sinner,  like  the  worst.  And  while  those  sins  were 
cherished,  and  the  human  poor,  and  the  heavenly  store, 
and  his  own  kind  life,  were  all  disdained,  his  place 
among  the  men  this  vivid  parable  classified  was  as  the 
very  "last." 

(e)  Such  is  the  gist  of  this  threefold  scene  from  the 
life  of  Christ.  Can  you  state  it  fully f  Can  you  close 
your  eyes  and  think  it  through — just  as  it  came  to  the 
Master's  hand,  just  as  his  master  hand  unfolded  it,  just 
as  he  crystallized  it  all  in  that  epigram  and  parable? 
Keep  at  it  till  you  can.  Read  it  over  and  over.  Think 
it  through  and  through.  Read  and  think.  Think  and 
read.  When  thought  wanders,  read.  When  reading 
blurs,  think.  Persist  until  the  vivid  incident  is  vivid 
for  your  mind  for  all  coming  days.  You  will  find  few 
finer  places  to  see  Jesus  rise  and  move  towards  magis- 
terial primacy.  He  eclipsed  that  ruler  with  the  piercing 
light,  he  illumined  those  disciples  with  the  patient  love, 
he  carved  that  balanced  epigram  and  parable  with  the 
matchless  art  of  the  holy  and  infinite  Master  of  us  all. 
Study  him. 


The  Master  Teacher  loc) 


LESSON  XXV. 

Riches    and   the    Kingdom:  Special    Studies. 

Matt.  19  :  16-20  :  16. 

This  passage,  though  truly  threefold,  is  a  true  unit. 
But  it  is  a  prolific  scene.  Several  special  studies  clamor 
for  attention. 

I.  In  detail. 

(a)  Christ  made  tzvo  replies  to  that  youth.  First 
he  referred  him  to  the  Mosaic  Law.  Then  he  bade 
him  find  the  poor.  Set  those  two  answers  dis- 
tinctly apart.  Then  bring  them  into  close  comparison. 
Note  how  differently  they  strike  the  youth.  What  made 
this  difference?  You  ought  to  answer  this.  But  then 
notice.  What  was  lacking  in  the  first?  Was  Christ's 
first  reply  somehow  inadequate?  Be  heedful  here.  You 
can  easily  err.  Then,  what  was  Jesus  driving  tozuardf 
Where  did  he  wish  to  place  that  youth?  Suppose  the 
youth  had  done  as  Christ  advised?  Think  this  out.  The 
lesson  teems  with  light.  Be  sure  to  see  it.  So  you 
may  learn  to  teach. 

(b)  Look  carefully  into  that  youth's  frown  and  into 
his  saddened  heart.  What  do  that  sorrow  and  dislike 
deeply  meanf  Keep  close  to  the  facts.  What  occa- 
sioned that  grief  and  disappointment?  It  was  Christ's 
words.  Turn  that  candle  full  upon  that  young  man's 
scowl.    Ferret  out  its  origin. 

(c)  See  if  you  can  set  out  the  disciples'  wonder  in 
the  form  of  an  argument.  Just  what  did  they  challenge 
or  resent?  What  statement  or  treatment  of  the  ruler's 
case  would  have  suited  them?  Unlock  their  thoughts. 
In  that  seemingly  simple  question,  "Who  then  can 
be  saved?"  is  the  substance  of  a  syllogism.  Open  it 
out. 

(d)  In   the   same   way    set   in   logical    order   Jesus' 


t^o  Teacher-Training  tcith 

answer  to  Peter's  inquiry.     Was  it  complete?     Can  you 
uncover  Christ's  fundamental  postulate? 

(e)  And  now,  that  parable  and  epigram.  Imagine 
them  both  left  out.  Define  the  case  as  it  stood  before 
those  two  inventions  of  his  fertile  mind  appeared.  Was 
there  any  call  for  something  more  ?  Just  what  need  was 
met  by  those  twin  products  of  his  creative  thought? 
Why  did  he  invent  that  balanced  epigram?  Is  there  in 
it  any  element,  more  or  less,  than  is  in  the  parable?  If 
not,  then  why  the  parable? 

(f )  Then  why  were  epigram  and  parable  so  indirect? 
If  they  were  designed  to  set  sharp  contrast  between  the 
terms  of  merit  and  the  terms  of  grace,  then  why  were 
those  essential  words  left  out?  Fasten  into  this.  There 
may  lie  just  beneath  the  surface  here  a  beautiful  secret 
of  fine  teaching  art. 

2.  In  general. 

(a)  Christ's  clarity.  How  open  to  the  Master's  eye, 
from  the  very  start,  all  the  inner  deeps,  and  all  the 
world-wide  meaning  of  this  rich,  young,  moral  ruler's 
life  and  choice !  This  well  deserves  your  admiration. 
But  it  also  calls  for  studious  prayer,  if  one  would  teach 
in  the  Saviour's  stead  his  message  of  mercy  for  all  the 
world.  The  Lord  may  stand  nearer,  in  the  high  wonder 
of  his  true  vision,  than  you  think.  In  this  sort  of  insight 
character  opens  the  eye.  Are  you  sure  you  understand 
this? 

(b)  Christ's  moral  refinement.  How  absolutely  pure 
and  sure  the  Saviour's  moral  sense !  It  was  not  by  acci- 
dent or  magic,  or  a  happy  chance  that  he  discerned  so 
instantly  this  ruler's  moral  crudity.  Christ  was  in  his 
inmost  soul  and  life  the  essence  of  pure  excellence.  By 
every  instinct  of  his  soul  he  would  counsel  instantly 
towards  heavenly  loving-kindness,  full  and  real  like  his 
own.  No  carnal  compromise  was  possible.  Here,  too,  is 
food  for  a  Christian  teacher's  meditation. 

(c)  Christ's  moral  earnestness.  Feel  his  energies 
here.  How  full  and  strong  they  are !  There  was  in  his 
daily  walk  a  sublime  momentum  towards  the  right.  He 
would  not,  he  could  not  palter,  or  dally,  or  equivocate. 
Wiiere  many  another  life  would  halt,  and  shrink,  and 


The  Master  Teacher  iii 

be  unsure,  he  shows  a  rush,  a  plunge,  a  ready,  hearty 
confidence,  an  undelayed  decisiveness  that  betokened 
that  his  moral  qualities  had  reached  a  manly,  full  ma- 
turity. He  was  no  moral  weakling.  Compare  his  moral 
stature  with  the  sinking  power  and  faint  amazement  of 
all  those  other  men.  He  stood  among  them  all,  a  moral 
giant. 

(d)  Christ's  spirituality.  Here  lay  coiled  the  mighty 
spring  of  the  Master's  moral  strength.  He  was  splen- 
didly aware  of  his  inner  being's  worth.  Scanty  food  and 
humble  attire  he  could  readily  endure.  For  outer  seem- 
ing also  he  had  little  care.  Luxury  and  vanity  he  could 
easily  contemn.  Think  here.  Had  the  ruler  had  a_ 
sense  of  this  fine  quality  in  Jesus'  life,  would  he  have 
been  so  ready  to  haste  and  make  that  low  obeisance 
before  his  eye?  Just  what  is  this  quality  worth?  And 
how  does  its  presence  work? 

(e)  Christ's  respect  for  eternity.  About  how  did 
this  figure  in  Christ's  reply  to  the  youth  and  to  Peter? 
Did  it  really  dominate  both  answers?  This  is  no  light 
inquiry.  Think  of  the  ruler.  His  inquiry  had  apparent 
respect  for  eternal  life.  But  look  underneath  his  words. 
Which  value  was  paramount  with  him  in  fact,  the  eter- 
nal or  the  perishing?  Now  think  of  Peter.  Then  think 
again  of  Christ.  What  is  your  honest  opinion  of  him, 
as  a  teacher,  at  just  this  point? 

(f)  Christ's  simplicity.  Here  is  a  fine  quality  in 
teaching.  Study  out  its  presence  in  this  scene.  How 
many  themes  did  Jesus  have  in  hand?  How  did  they 
stand  arranged  and  ordered  in  his  thought  ?  Which  one 
was  pivotal  ?  Do  not  get  tired  here.  Simplicity  is  a 
stronghold  of  teaching  power.  In  this  threefold  scene 
it  stands  forth  to  view  like  a  lofty,  well-poised  tower. 
Can  you  define  it  with  any  precision? 

(g)  Christ's  vividness.  Trace  this  out.  That  indica- 
tion of  the  poor,  that  invitation  to  his  band,  that  refer- 
ence to  a  camel  threading  through  a  needle's  eye,  those 
details  of  toil  and  pay,  that  living  parable,  that  fine- 
edged  epigram — how  real,  how  visible,  how  familiar  it 
all  seems  !    Here  is  perfect  art. 

(h)   Christ's    imperishable    validity.      We    call    this 


112  Teacher-Training  with 

scene  an  "incident."     But  other  incidents  vanish.     This 
one  shines  forever.    How  do  you  explain  this  ? 

•  (i)  Christ's  profundity.  This  whole  scene  centers 
about  an  individual  case,  the  ruler.  But  Jesus  seems  to 
find  in  it  a  universal  law.  This  deserves  long-drawn 
attention.  Do  some  thinking.  If  you  but  know  it,  you 
are  facing  a  splendid  trait  of  Christ.  It  is  a  trait  that 
gives  all  thinking  poise.  It  makes  a  thoughtful  man  a 
sage.    It  guides  the  sage  to  true  philosophy. 

Study  Jesus  here.  Note  the  poise  and  trend  of  every 
turn  and  term.  As  he  arranged  those  elements  about 
that  youth,  he  saw  a  world  in  miniature.  He  saw  all 
men  in  this  one  youth.  World  currents  were  swirling 
there.  And  Jesus  shaped  his  course  to  circumnavigate 
the  globe.  Here  is  a  principle  gleaming  into  view,  well 
worth  your  eye.  Christ's  horizon  was  that  of  Palestine. 
The  men  he  met  were  mostly  Jews,  antique,  oriental, 
often  strange.  But  his  deep  eye  swept  every  sky,  and 
his  true  thought  sounded  every  heart  of  man.  Ponder 
this.  When  Jesus  looked  into  that  Jewish  ruler's  unsus- 
pecting eye,  what  did  he  see?  Oh  for  teachers  with  an 
eye  and  mind  as  profoundly,  truly  human  as  Christ's ! 


The   Master  Teacher  ii 


LESSON  XXVI. 

Zaccheus. 
Luke  19  :  2-10. 

I.  Here  is  Zaccheus.  He  is  a  publican  prince.  This 
means  authority  over  subalterns ;  standing  and  favor 
under  Roman  magistrates ;  power  in  financial  circles ; 
dominion  over  a  wide  section  of  Jewish  territory  and 
trade. 

(a)  Think  of  a  man  like  this.  Fancy  his  aptitudes, 
propensities,  tastes.  Look  into  his  nature,  and  habit 
of  life,  and  environment,  and  ideals.  Think  of  the 
nature  of  his  office  and  duty,  of  the  powerful  tendency 
towards  hardness  in  manner  and  heart.  Conceive  the 
fine  hate  and  real  fear  his  person  would  agitate  among 
those  Jews.  Think  of  the  moral  hazards  continually 
besieging  such  a  man.  And  as  Christ  draws  near,  think 
of  the  obstacles  to  his  truth  and  love  such  a  case  would 
be  liable  to  contain. 

(b)  There  are  those  throngs,  surrounding  Christ. 
Study  them.  Note  not  so  much  their  number,  or  their 
push  for  Christ,  as  their  prepossessions.  Keep  in  mind 
the  loyal  Jewish  hate  of  publicans.  Probe  into  the  deeps 
right  here.  Imagine,  and  take  a  bit  of  pains,  how  they 
would  stare  and  talk,  as  Jesus  orders  them  all  to  halt, 
while  he  helps  down  Zaccheus. 

(c)  Now  picture  the  Master  verging  along  towards 
that  wayside  tree.  See  how  he  reigns  among  those 
throngs.  How  compact  they  are  about  his  face.  Their 
eagerness  is  almost  rude.  A  physical  underling,  like 
Zaccheus,  has  no  chance.  But  judge  how  Jesus  was  en- 
grossed by  the  attentions  of  the  throng.  He  was  its 
heart  center.  The  pull  and  strain  upon  his  thought  and 
speech  and  heart  were  unceasing  and  tense.  He  was  all 
but  overwhelmed.    And  this  grand  popularity  must  have 


//^  Teacher-Training  icith 

been  the  Master's  wish  and  choice.  For  this  he  sent  the 
Seventy  on  before.  It  was  part  of  his  great  design  to 
gather  up  great  throngs. 

(d)  But  now  look  somewhat  deeper.  What  were  the 
attitude  and  errand  of  that  multitude?  See  their  shal- 
low feelings  change  and  flit.  What  was  in  Zaccheus' 
heart?  He  was  like  a  little  child  in  eagerness  to  get  a 
passing  glimpse  of  Christ.  Now  turn«all  your  study  on 
that  lowly,  lordly  Christ.  Mark  how  his  glowing  eye  is 
searching  through  and  through  that  throng  to  find  one 
son  of  man  whose  soul  is  tired  of  sin  and  hungry  for 
redemption. 

2.  Now  see  Jesus  at  his  proper  work.  It  is  a  speak- 
ing scene,  worth  any  teacher's  ear  and  eye. 

(a)  He  faces  instantly  the  certain  chiding  of  the 
multitude,  bids  their  onset  pause,  commands  their  empty 
eagerness  to  fall  back  and  wait ;  and  in  the  open  pres- 
ence of  their  imperious  prejudice,  he  calls  the  hated 
publican  to  his  side,  honors  openly  his  honest  eagerness, 
and  in  the  glad  fraternity  of  host  and  guest  passes  pub- 
licly into  Zaccheus'  home.  Thus  the  gentle  Saviour 
dares  and  does.  Without  an  instant's  pause  or  the 
least  disguise,  he  defies  outright  the  certain  lapse  of  their 
respect,  and  hazards  their  complete  departure  from  his 
train.    This  is  one  aspect  of  his  finely  courteous  act. 

(b)  But  see  the  other  side.  He  enters  festal  fellow- 
ship with  a  congenial  friend.  He  sits  as  honored  guest. 
Zaccheus  acts  the  host,  attentive,  generous,  proud.  Jesus 
has  found  a  pupil  worth  his  while.  Now  he  can  speak 
and  teach,  bear  witness  and  unveil,  just  as  his  mighty, 
friendly  heart  inspires.  And  Zaccheus  has  his  hidden 
wish  complete.  Jesus  is  right  before  his  eye.  Nothing 
now  can  obstruct  or  delay  the  full  shining  of  his  fair 
majesty.  The  disapproving  and  undiscerning  throng 
is  held  aloof  and  at  halt,  until  the  open  eye  of  this 
ambitious  dwarf  shall  drink  its  fill.  So  the  communion 
of  model  pupil  and  model  teacher  flows  on  for  one  glad 
hour  unchecked  and  full.  It  is  a  scene  and  enterprise 
worth  any  teacher's  mind. 

(c)  Think  this  all  over,  back  and  forth.  See  what 
you  make  of  it.    The  scene  teems  with  light  for  teachers. 


The  Master  Teacher  ii§ 

Move  in  among  that  forsaken  multitude.  Hear  what 
they  say.  Find  what  they  think.  Do  not  play  the  idler, 
or  plead  incompetence.  That  throng  is  fully  human. 
So  are  you.  You  can  find  out  the  very  heart  of  their 
conceit.  Their  mouths  are  full  of  comments  on  Zac- 
cheus,  and  on  Christ,  and  on  themselves.  Take  your 
pen,  and  make  close  record  of  what  they  say.  This  is 
the  hard  but  certain  way  to  learn  to  teach.  Look  into 
Christ's  emotions.  They  must  have  been  strong;  they 
must  have  been  mixed.  He  never  left  that  multitude 
without  a  pang.  But  as  he  watched  Zaccheus,  his  spirit 
must  have  burst  in  song.  Study  that  busy  publican. 
Count  up  the  cost  and  joy  and  carefulness  of  his  hos- 
pitality. He  is  being  mightily  changed.  Watch  his 
growth.  Pick  up  your  pencil  again,  and  tell  from  what, 
to  what  he  is  being  transformed. 

3.  The  meaning  of  it  all.  Could  you  but  explicate 
this  yourself! 

(a)  That  throng  is  a  medley.  They  do  admire  the 
Lord.  But  they  despise  the  publican.  They  packed 
about  the  Master  like  sheep.  But  where  his  life's  chief 
joy  attained  its  crest,  they  deemed  his  taste  abhorrent, 
and  took  high  offense.  And  Christ  was  utterly  frank. 
He  never  veiled  his  grace.  Can  you  explain  all  this? 
It  would  be  a  good  thing  for  a  teacher  to  know.  Sup- 
pose you  try  to  measure  the  strength  of  downright 
honesty. 

(b)  Christ  dominates  Zaccheus.  But  Zaccheus  was 
a  potent  force,  and  all  its  exercise  had  been  self-centered. 
He  was  a  wealthy  prince  of  tax  collectors.  But  Christ 
made  him  a  model  of  philanthropy.  Here  is  enhearten- 
ment  for  teachers.  But  note  Christ's  thoroughness  here. 
Zaccheus  was  actually  born  again.  He  became  another 
man.  Set  the  two,  the  old  Zaccheus  and  the  new.  in 
detailed  comparison.  Get  the  grip  of  his  old  hand  when 
taking  toll.  Then  see  his  hand  grow  gentle,  as  he  stands 
in  the  embrace  of  Christ.  Do  some  thinking  right  here. 
No  teacher  could  better  spend  an  hour. 

(c)  But  how  did  Christ  accomplish  it?  We  have 
no  record  of  their  words.  But  do  we  need  it?  Just 
think.     But  an  hour  ago  Christ  was  in  the  focus  of  a 


ji6  Teacher'Training  with 

mighty   throng.     Now   he   is   in   Zaccheus'   very   home. 
Think  again.    The  Master  is  fast  nearing  to  his  cross. 

Think  still  again.  Jesus  in  the  publican's  home  was 
the  same  pure,  loving,  truthful,  lowly  soul  as  every- 
where. And  think  again.  The  Saviour  would  soon  be 
fed.  And  with  little  delay  or  ado  he  would  become  the 
host,  and  Zaccheus  would  sit  as  guest.  How  freely,  then, 
those  two  eager  souls  would  blend !  The  Saviour's  re- 
demptive love  was  all  astir.  That  meant  self-sacrificing 
grace.  This  would  mellow  and  deepen  and  richly  burden 
every  word.     Can  you  not  run  on  with  this? 

(d)  Mark  the  watchfulness  of  Christ.  That  defer- 
ential throng  would  have  blurred  any  eye  but  Christ's. 
And  Zaccheus  was  a  dwarf  and  a  publican,  and  thrust 
away  beyond  the  crowd,  and  in  his  weakness  hidden 
in  a  tree.  But  Jesus  did  not  fail  to  spy  his  face,  nor  to 
fathom  his  heart,  nor  to  grandly  recognize  his  respect. 
Here  is  counsel  for  a  teacher.  Spy  out  the  ready  heart. 
Have  Jesus'  eyes  to  see. 

(e)  Christ's  independence.  He  was  much  in  throngs. 
But  they  never  ruled  him.  He  was  always  and  every- 
where no  other  than  himself.  There  are  grounds  for 
this.     And  they  are  worth  your  search. 

(f)  The  faithfulness  of  Christ's  grace.  Here  is  a 
scene  where  pride,  or  caution,  or  fear,  or  some  sort  of 
wise  farsightedness  might  easily  have  claimed  respect. 
He  could  easily  have  passed  Zaccheus.  See  if  you  can 
compute  the  issues  of  such  a  course.  Do  you  quite  dare 
pass  this  by?     It  has  big  meaning. 

(g)  The  meaning  of  an  act.  First  get  in  view  the 
Saviour's  closing  word:  "This  man  is  a  son  of  Abraham. 
I  came  to  save  the  lost."  These  words  publish  Christ's 
life  design.  Now  think.  He  pays  this  public  deference 
to  Zaccheus.  All  men  vote  the  man  a  "sinner."  But 
as  the  Lord  goes  on,  Zaccheus  stands  transformed.  How 
more  openly,  or  beautifully,  or  effectively  could  the 
Saviour  make  his  mission  plain?  What  a  hint  for 
teachers ! 


The  Master  Teacher  ii[ 


LESSON  XXVII. 

The  Stewardship  Idea. 

Luke  19  :  11-27. 

I.  The  occasion.  This  parable  sprang  up  somewhere 
in  that  incident  with  Zaccheus.  You  need  to  find  its 
origin.  Only  so  can  you  ever  study  your  Master's  art. 
To  search  this  out,  there  is  nothing  like  reading  the 
Zaccheus  sketch  and  this  parable  separately,  over  and 
over.  If  you  are  really  resolute,  you  will  do  this  ear- 
nestly, until  you  catch  main  undertones  and  outstanding 
notes,  and  find  to  a  certainty  what  voices  correspond. 
Persist  in  this.  Find  out  what  things  are  central,  what 
are  trivial.  Then  you  are  ready,  but  not  till  then,  to 
judge  your  Master's  teaching  art.  Take  the  following 
items.     They  are  certainly  commanding  marks. 

(a)  Men  were  somehow  brought  to  think  the  king- 
dom was  just  about  to  come.  How  this  thought  got 
lodged  is  not  explained.  But  recall  the  ministry  of  the 
Seventy.  Their  impressive  work  must  have  been  mainly 
done.  Christ  was  near  his  cross.  He  alluded  repeatedly 
to  his  impending  crisis.  Its  awful  overhanging  burden 
must  shape  and  steady  powerfully  his  every  posture  and 
step.  Men  would  hang  about  the  mysteries  of  his  speech 
and  study  the  darkening  horizon  of  his  life  in  daily 
expectation  of  portentous  things. 

(b)  They  unhesitatingly  accredited  all  its  blessings 
to  themselves.  The  Jews  were  exclusively  the  king- 
dom's beneficiaries.  Its  glorious  dawning  would  be  the 
brilliant  vindication  of  their  hopes. 

(c)  All  publicans  and  harlots  and  aliens  would  be 
cast  out.  They  were  sinners,  all  unclean,  unfit  for  fellow- 
ship with  the  chosen  and  select  of  the  seed  of  Abraham. 

(d)  Jesus'  persistent  friendliness  towards  moral 
reprobates    aroused    their    ire.      Such    action    they    felt 


ikS  Teacher 'Trainings  icHh 

unbearable.  Such  a  leader  they  deemed  an  outlaw.  His 
style  was  no  example  for  them.  His  principles  they 
would  unanimously  abjure.    This  on  one  hand. 

(e)  But  on  the  other  hand,  Jesus  came  for  sinners. 
He  stood  for  mercy.  His  search  was  for  the  penitent. 
His  prime  official  impulse  was  towards  the  sick  and  sad 
and  lost.  Broken  confessions  of  unrighteousness  were 
music  to  his  ear.    He  loved  to  work*  repair. 

(f)  And  he  was  of  royal  line  and  worth.  He  was  a 
king  of  men.  He  was  continually  sweeping  masses  in 
his  train.  In  every  throng  he  was  easily  sovereign.  His 
lordship,  even  when  bitterly  disliked,  was  resistless.  He 
laid  a  master  hand  on  every  human  chord.  He  uncov- 
ered in  men  deeps  they  had  never  seen.  He  published 
sins  they  had  never  divulged.  He  tightened  obligations 
which  hosts  of  men  preferred  to  slacken  and  relax.  He 
always  spoke  as  from  a  throne.  He  was  inherently  a 
true-born  king. 

(g)  Features  something  like  these  mark  this  land- 
scape. Scan  them  carefully.  They  have  a  striking  cor- 
respondence. On  one  side  spread  the  throngs  with  jut- 
ting, ugly  prejudice;  among  them  stands  the  Saviour,  a 
ruler  of  men,  eager  for  righteousness,  ready  for  sacri- 
fice ;  close  by  stands  the  sturdy  and  transformed  Zac- 
cheus.  On  the  other  side  looms  this  parable,  fitted  and 
designed  by  Christ  to  voice  the  needed  proclamation  to 
those  men. 

2.  Now  analyze  the  parable.  This  work  is  omitted 
here.  But  it  needs  to  be  carefully  done.  Then  match  the 
two  together :  setting  Christ,  in  the  Zaccheus  scene,  over 
against  the  prince  in  the  parable;  these  spleeny  phari- 
sees,  over  against  those  insurgents;  the  like  of  the 
transformed  Zaccheus,  over  against  the  faithful  steward ; 
and  Christ's  unyielding  decisiveness,  over  against  the 
final,  awful  verdict  of  the  returned  king.  Then  get  the 
mighty  amplitude  and  impulse  of  the  parable  all  before 
you  and  well  under  way.    Name  its  primal  values. 

(a)  The  master  and  owner  is  sovereign  alone.  The 
servants  are  only  stewards.  They  have  no  native  title 
to  their  goods.  Their  tenure  is  by  commission.  It  can 
be  any  time  recalled.    The  prince  is  lord. 


The   Master  Teacher 


ijg 


(b)  The  servants  are  subordinates.  Not  one  of  them 
is  born  a  prince.  They  are  under  irreversible  lordship 
and  law. 

(c)  The  prince  withdraws.  This  leaves  each  stew- 
ard essentially  free.  For  the  time  his  mastery  is  abso- 
lute. His  own  sole  judgment  is  his  own  sole  guide.  His 
own  free  will  is  his  own  full  lord.  The  measure  of  his 
own  ambition  is  the  sole  standard  of  his  plan.  For  the 
period  while  the  prince  is  away,  each  servant's  responsi- 
bility and  liberty  are  full. 

(d)  What  each  steward  achieves,  while  the  prince 
delays,  stands  to  that  steward's  credit  alone.  It  is  truly 
his  own.  And  yet  he  who  trades,  and  that  on  which  he 
trades,  and  all  that  he  acquires,  are  all  and  each  unde- 
niably his  lord's.  Thus  each  servant  has  a  double  out- 
look. He  may  show  of  what  mettle  he  is  really  made,  and 
this  as  freely  as  any  prince ;  and  he  may  demonstrate  his 
deference  and  devotion  to  his  lord,  sealing  up  in  his  own 
expanding  worth,  and  in  all  the  increasing  wealth,  signal 
tokens  of  his  faithful  love  and  zeal.  Or  he  may  fashion 
the  exact  reverse. 

(e)  Hereby  develops  a  system  of  irrefragable  right. 
Equities  emerge.  Relationships  ripen.  Judgments  ensue. 
Azvards  become  inevitable.  The  servant's  stewardship 
and  the  kingship  of  the  prince  must  be  indubitable.  The 
servant  must  yield  respect.  The  king  must.be  supreme. 
The  servant  who  has  stood  up  in  his  free  manhood  and 
wrought  like  a  prince  in  his  master's  right,  must  receive 
a  prince's  reward.  All  who  annul  and  contemn  their 
lord's  control  must  find  that  lordship's  only  and  utter 
vindication  in  their  own  complete  undoing. 

(f )  Such  is  the  parable.  Study  it  all  again  and  again, 
and  fit  its  parts  to  that  Zaccheus  scene.  Keep  this  study 
up,  until  your  Master's  skill  begins  to  stand  in  all  its 
beautiful  strength. 

3.  Christ's  teaching  traits. 

(a)  He  is  unanswerable.  This  parable  stands  four- 
square. Or  better,  it  is  like  a  cube.  Try  overturning  it. 
It  is  absolutely  unassailable.  It  postulates  one  lord. 
All  the  rest  are  subordinates,  Sense  the  simple  strength 
of  this. 


120  Teacher-Training  with 

(b)  He  is  finely  magisterial.  His  skill  and  power 
are  peculiarly  those  of  a  teacher.  He  was  a  teaching 
prince.  He  taught.  That  was  his  one  art.  All  his  work 
is  to  illuminate.    This  is  grand. 

(c)  He  is  incomparably  deft.  Do  you  see  his  task. 
Study  the  mood  and  attitude  of  that  throng.  Keep  in 
view  Zaccheus.  It  was  a  case  of  infinite  delicacy.  The 
crowds  were  in  no  shape  for  being  taught.  They  were 
hot  and  hurt.  But  they  sorely  needed  counsel.  Some 
hand  must  touch  them.  That  touch  cannot  be  faint  or 
timid  with  any  fear.  It  must  be  resolute  and  sure. 
Now  study  your  Master's  wit  and  art  and  quick  device 
in  building  up  this  parable.  What  fine  self-mastery! 
What  cool  far-sightedness  !     What  easy  lordliness  ! 

(d)  But  he  is  thorough,  beyond  all  compromise. 
Mark  all  the  meaning  of  the  introduction  of  that  true- 
born  prince.  That  single  feature  gave  shape  to  every- 
thing. Its  authority  and  right  stood  paramount  to  the 
utter  end.    Do  you  see  this? 

(e)  See  Christ's  gentle  and  deep  concern  for  men. 
See  him  befriend  Zaccheus.  That  is  ideal.  Think  how 
he  held  that  throng.  He  must  have  shown  unwearying 
good-will.  Then  see  the  mild  reflection  of  his  full-orbed 
benignity  in  Zaccheus'  shining  change. 

(f)  But  he  was  unpopular.  Read  again  that  parable. 
Scan  again  that  throng,  as  the  Master  and  the  publican 
drew  out.  So  he  fared  repeatedly.  In  many  a  moral 
crisis  Jesus  and  the  pharisees  parted  hands.  Here  is 
a  good  place  to  get  it  clear.  Set  the  publican  in  the 
midst.  Think  twice.  See  what  is  at  stake  with  Christ. 
Think  what  is  at  stake  with  those  pharisees.  No  truce 
is  possible.  Now  study  Christ.  How  genial  is  his  trait ! 
But  how  bitter  is  his  plight !  In  such  a  tangle  of  actual 
life,  how  and  what  shall  the  Master  teach? 

(g)  So  study  the  scene  on  every  side.  It  is  a  royal 
display  of  the  King  of  teachers  in  the  very  thick  of  his 
work.  Carve  out  his  profile.  He  is  a  keen-eyed,  far- 
sighted,  well-poised,  invincible,  affectionate,  true-hearted 
Master  of  his  art. 


The  Master  Teacher  121 


LESSON  XXVIII. 

Is  Man  Immortal? 

Luke  20  :  27-40. 

I.  Get  acquainted  with  these  sadducees.  They  were  a 
skeptical,  free-thinking,  aristocratic  set,  prone  to  doubt 
and  deride  and  deny  in  matters  of  religion.  Now  they 
assail  Christ.  On  the  surface  of  their  words  they  outline 
a  knotty  problem.    But  look  into  this. 

(a)  Were  they  seeking  light?  Did  they  think  they 
were?  Would  listeners  so  believe?  How  doe;,  their 
outer  aspect  strike  you,  after  all? 

(b)  Was  their  case  realf  Be  careful  here.  In  more 
ways  than  one  this  situation  is  typical.  When  men  have 
set  opinions,  and  are  trying  to  "prove"  their  case,  how 
natural  is  it,  in  your  observation,  to  test  the  opposing 
view  by  a  likely  and  quite  life-like,  but  after  all  unreal 
"supposition"  ?     Can  you  find  signs  of  this  here  ? 

(c)  Were  they  really  in  doubt?  Were  they  in  fact 
unsure  whether  the  dead  were  raised,  and  in  that  un- 
certainty trying  to  get  some  convictions  fixed?  Were 
their  minds  open  or  closed,  judging  solely  from  the 
way  they  put  the  case? 

(d)  Their  statement  ends  in  a  question.  But  think. 
And  get  right  to  the  point.  Given  the  case,  as  they 
portrayed  it ;  was  a  question  the  natural  termination  of 
their  speech? 

(e)  They  came  to  Christ  as  though  for  arbitration. 
This  act  seems  to  betoken  signal  respect.  Was  that 
seeming  deference  real  ?  Were  they  aiming  to  recognize 
or  to  depreciate  Christ's  work? 

(f)  All  the  above  inquiries  concern  the  core  of  their 
honor.  They  require  true,  fair  answers.  But  now  study 
the  substance  of  their  case.  Upon  precisely  what  were 
their  thoughts  focused,  as  they  spread  out  that  problem : 


122  Teacher -Tramm^  wiih 

its  difficulty  or  its  strength?  Were  they  presenting  a 
hard  case,  or  a  clear  case?  That  is,  was  their  attitude 
assault  or  defense?  Just  why  those  heaped  up  details? 
As  you  think  of  answering  them,  do  you  view  them  as 
believing  something,  or  as  denying  something?  Just 
what  are  you  facing? 

(g)  What  was  the  material  out  of  which  their  in- 
quiry was  built?  What  substance  went  into  its  point? 
In  general,  it  was  the  resurrection.  But  be  particular. 
Resurrection  of  what?  What  was  the  real  ultimate 
substance  of  their  proposition?  How  did  their  minds 
imagine  things,  once  the  dead  were  raised?  You  can- 
not wisely  avoid  answering  this.  Jesus'  answer  shows 
that  he  inspected  this  point  with  sharp  preciseness.  The 
fact  is,  they  went  all  astray  in  their  idea  of  what  the 
resurrection  really  is.  The  very  center  of  gravity  of 
their  case  lay  in  an  error,  and  an  error  of  the  grossest 
sort.     Do  you  see  this? 

(h)  They  appeal  to  Scripture.  But  did  their  case 
and  Scripture  coincide?  Was  their  case  a  case  in  point? 
Does  the  law  of  Moses  lead  into  such  ludicrous  issues? 
Just  what  is  their  fault  here?  You  feel  there  is  one. 
Locate  it.  Such  cases  perpetually  recur.  Learn  how 
to  handle  them. 

(i)  They  waken  echoes  of  an  age-long  party  strife. 
Catch  those  notes  of  conflict  here.  They  were  plotting 
to  lead  the  Lord  of  peace  into  a  trampled  battlefield. 
What  do  you  think  of  this?  Do  you  ever  encounter 
the  same  design  ? 

2.  The  Lord's  reply. 

(a)  He  makes  straight  for  the  central  error  in  their 
conception  of  what  the  resurrection  really  is.  They 
deemed  the  physical  states  prevalent  here,  translated  and 
continued  bodily  there,  in  all  their  carnal  grossness. 
This  notion  Jesus  roundly  assails  with  a  plump  denial. 
In  the  resurrection  they  do  not  marry  ;  neither  do  they 
die ;  they'  are  instead  as  angels ;  they  are  sons  of  God. 

Now  linger  here.  Learn  to  think.  Think  of  the 
very  nature  and  essence  of  their  crude  conceit.  Go  right 
into  it.  It  was  a  ridiculous  idea — just  as  they  carefully 
designed   to   make   it.     But   it   was   shameful,   too.     It 


The  Master  Teacher  j2j 

showed  a  low  mind.  But  follow  the  stroke  of  the  Sav- 
iour's sword.  With  one  quick  thrust  their  case  col- 
lapsed.   And  it  collapsed  beyond  repair. 

(b)  But  study  that  inserted  phrase :  "Neither  do 
they  die."  This  is  splendidly  discerning,  straight-out, 
and  triumphant.  Read  all  this  conference  with  just  one 
thought:  what  is  meant  by  death f  How  does  it  relate 
to  marriage?  You  may  profitably  tarry  right  here 
many  a  thoughtful  hour.  Those  sadducees  had  no 
sense  of  "life."  Pure  spirit  being  lay  beyond  their  ken. 
They  never  stopped  to  think  what  lay  enfolded  in  that 
bright  and  vital  phrase,  "the  sons  of  God."  But  here 
is  Jesus'  shining  citadel.  Strive  and  climb  till  you 
reach  securely  the  immortal  Master's  high,  clear,  pure, 
point  of  view.  .  Then  fathom  what  it  means  nevermore 
to  die ;  what  it  means  to  be  as  angels ;  what  it  verily 
means  to  be  sons  of  God ;  what  the  resurrection  glori- 
ously means. 

(c)  Thus  Jesus  swiftly  pillories  their  low  mistake. 
But  lay  out  before  your  eye  his  shining  instruments. 
Examine  the  tools  he  used.  They  were  all  edged  and 
tempered  in  the  skies.  See  them:  "angels,"  "sons  of 
God,"  "sons  of  the  resurrection,"  "they  cannot  die" — 
a  goodly,  shining  set  of  Christian  teachers'  tools.  They 
are  far-flashing,  deep-piercing  blades.  They  are  like 
straight,  swift  rays  of  light.     They  are  pure  Truth. 

(d)  And  now  the  Lord  of  Life  attacks  the  central 
tenet  of  the  sadducees.  They  deny  the  resurrection. 
Christ  delivers  one  full  blow.  "The  dead  are  raised." 
Mark  his  method.  He  appeals  to  the  Mosaic  word.  But 
how  different  his  touch  and  use  from  theirs !  Mark  his 
penetration.  Note  his  choice.  It  is  no  chance  citation. 
He  selects  a  fundamental  word,  Jehovah's  mention  to 
Moses  of  the  name  of  Abraham :  "I  am  the  God  of 
Abraham."  Here  is  a  word  that  affirms  a  vital  bond. 
It  was  uttered  centuries  after  Abraham  was  dead.  Out 
of  these  immeasurable  deeps  Jesus  draws  forth  an  irre- 
futable claim.  He  asserts  with  magnificent  meaning  and 
strength:  "He  is  not  a  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the 
living."  Here  are  words  of  tremendous  depth.  And 
they  make   reply   impossible.     Study   them   well.     They 


tZ4  Teacher-Training  with 

are  infinitely  full.     They  are  infinitely  brave.     They  are 
infinitely  clear.     They  are  like  the  unclouded  sun. 

3.  Teachers  being  in  mind,  many  things  cry  out  for 
mention.    Lend  your  hearing  ear.    Be  yourself. 

(a)  The  disaster  to  a  scholar  of  a  perverse  use  of 
Scripture. 

(b)  The  disaster  of  neglect  of  Scripture. 

(c)  The  pity  of  it,  when  the  inner  eye  is  blind. 

(d)  They  dared  not  question  any  more.  What  do 
you  think  of  this?  Did  it  mean  being  smart,  or  dull, 
or  proud,  or  dashed,  or  whipped? 

(e)  The  priceless  value  to  a  teacher  of  a  knowledge 
of  the  power  of  God.  With  Jesus  this  was  a  free, 
splendid,  omnipotent  reality. 

(f )  The  resources  in  Scripture  for  a  teacher  who  has 
sailed  and  sounded  their  seas.  Watch  the  practiced  eye 
of  Christ.  Those  broad  horizons  were  a  familiar  sight. 
Everywhere  they  gave  his  thoughtful  eye  the  light  of 
heaven. 

(g)  Christ's  deep  discernment  of  the  nature  of  man, 
Man  is  not  mortal  merely.  This  life  does  not  exhaust 
him.  He  is  a  son  of  God.  He  is  immortal.  Here 
are  prime  postulates  for  any  teacher  under  Christ. 

(h)  Mark  the  Saviour's  brevity.  He  makes  no  haste. 
But  he  makes  no  delay.  He  is  straightway  at  his  task. 
And  he  is  soon  done. 

(i)  His  balance.  He  is  unruffled,  self-possessed.  His 
stroke  is  instant,  powerful  and  sure.  And  when  deliv- 
ered, he  stands  as  steadfast  as  the  hills. 


The  Master  Teacher 


'^5 


LESSON  XXIX. 
•    The  Cost  of  Glory. 
John  12  :  20-33. 

I.  Find  where  this  scene  occurs.  It  was  quite  pos- 
sibly his  very  last  appearance  in  public  life;  and  thus 
his  next  facing  of  the  Jews  was  under  arrest.  Notice 
the  caption  chosen — The  Cost  of  Glory.  Read  the  para- 
graph often.    Jesus  is  to  utter  pregnant  teachings. 

.  2.  Note  how  the  Master's  words  begin.  He  first 
alludes  to  "glory."  Follow  the  whole  paragraph  through 
with  this  one  theme  in  mind.  Gather  up  and  hold 
together  its  different  names  and  forms  and  phases.  This 
means  close  work.  But  it  is  the  only  way  to  find  how 
the  Master  taught. 

(a)  Prolific  fruit-bearing  (v.  24).  Are  you  willing 
to  weigh  each  word?  Think  of  a  grain  of  wheat  "alone." 
Then  think  of  "bearing,"  and  "fruit,"  and  "much." 
Value  each  word  as  your  Saviour  did.  They  all  suggest 
life,  growth,  increase,  abundance,  value.  Try  to  pro- 
nounce each  term  as  Jesus  would.  Now  bring  alongside 
"fruit"  that  word  "glory."  What  is  Christ  meaning 
to  say?  Try  to  think  of  "fruit"  as  "glory."  Here  seem 
to  be  two  names  for  one  thing.  One  seems  to  be  literal. 
One  seems  Hke  a  figure.  But  think  at  leisure.  Are 
both  figures?  May  both  be  literal?  What  does  the 
Master  mean?  Keep  reading  the  whole  paragraph  till 
you  are  able  to  decide. 

(b)  Now  (v.  25)  Jesus  speaks  of  "keeping"  one's 
soul,  and  of  "eternal  life."  The  preceding  phrase  speaks 
of  "losing"  one's  soul.  That  means  perishing  utterly. 
Keep  this  contrast  before  you.  Now  fasten  your  mind 
on  "keeping  the  soul  unto  life  eternal,"  and  bring  along- 
side that  thought  that  "glory"  and  "fruit."  Here  are 
three  terms.     Do  they  really  anywhere  near  coincide? 


126  Teacher-Trainrng  lofth 

Use  a  bit  of  time  here.  And  see  that  your  mind  really 
works.  Look  at  each  term  apart.  Then  look  at  two 
together.  Then  combine  the  three.  Why  did  Jesus  use 
them  all?  Would  two  have  answered?  Which  two 
are  best?  Is  there  more  than  one  idea?  What  was 
Jesus  trying  to  say?  Read  all  the  paragraph  repeatedly 
and  find  out  some  reply. 

(c)  Now  study  v.  26.  It  tells  of  'the  reward  of 
ministering  to  Christ.  Two  phrases  express  it :  "being 
with"  Christ,  and  "honor"  from  the  Father.  Here 
again,  compare  and  combine.  You  have  "glory,"  "fruit," 
"life,"  "fellowship,"  "honor."  But  note.  As  Christ 
began,  that  "glory"  was  his  own.  Now,  as  he  speaks 
of  "honor,"  it  belongs  to  disciples;  this  "honor"  is  theirs. 
Has  his  thought  made  some  transit?  If  so,  where?  Or, 
is  his  "glory"  one  with  their  "honor"?  Settle  down  to 
some  of  your  best  thinking  here.  Face  up  to  that 
word  "fellowship,"  "being  with"  Christ.  Is  that  his 
glory,  or  their  honor?  Think  here.  Digest  the  whole 
again.  It  is  wholesome  nutriment,  and  worthy  exercise 
for  any  teacher.  Look  forward  to  v.  32 :  "I  will  draw 
all  men  unto  myself."  Do  all  these  phrases  culminate 
in  that?  Let  your  study  and  thought,  just  here,  be 
worthy  of  your  Lord. 

(d)  And  now  listen  to  that  voice  from  heaven  in  v. 
28:  "I  will  glorify  it  again."  This  ansAvers  a  prayer. 
That  prayer  surged  up  out  of  a  deep  soul  "trouble." 
It  cries  out:  "Save  me."  Let  that  petition  ring  its  full 
note.  Catch  every  wave  and  echo.  It  is  a  vastly  solemn 
melody.  But  it  attunes  with  another  note:  "Glorify 
thy  name."  Are  you  able  to  hear  at  once  the  full  music 
of  the  two?  Do  you  see  how  the  blending  two  are  met 
and  balanced  in  that  heavenly  antiphon :  "I  will  glorify 
it"?  Here  is  music  of  melody,  harmony,  antiphony 
worth  your  study.  Listen  as  the  angels  do.  Study  out 
their  interplay. 

(e)  But  now  stand  a  little  aloof,  and  survey  the 
whole.  The  disciples  and  the  Greeks  seem  forgotten. 
The  Saviour  seems  as  in  the  supplication  in  Gethsemane, 
where  he  strove  and  cried  in  solitude.  But  read  v.  30. 
This  prayer  is  not  a  closet  plea.    Its  supplication  and  its 


The  Master  Teacher  i2j 

response  were  designed  for  the  multitude  that  stood  by. 
And  it  leads  on  to  portentous  words.  Read  vv.  31-32 
about  the  crisis  of  the  world,  and  the  world-prince's 
judgment,  and  that  ominous  "lifting  up."  And  now 
assemble  that  trouble,  that  prayer,  that  answer,  that 
world  crisis,  that  death  by  the  cross,  around  that  answer  : 
"I  will  glorify  (my  name)  again."  See  how.  God's 
glory  crowns  and  dominates  it  all.  But  see  its  cost. 
And  now  rehearse  it  all  again.  Christ's  "glory,"  the 
"fruit,"  the  "life,"  the  "fellowship,"  the  "honor,"  God's 
"glory."     What  does  it  all  mean? 

(f)  And  now  once  more  that  jubilant  shout,  "I  will 
draw  all  men  unto  myself."  Let  it  ring  right  here,  as  the 
mighty  Saviour  meant  it  should.  And  you  stand  back 
where  all  these  voices  blend.  Fix  your  ear  for  each. 
Listen  to  them  all.  See  what  "glory"  means.  See  how 
all  harmonize  beautifully,  when  centered  about  the 
Father's  name ;  equally,  when  centered  about  the  Christ ; 
and  equally  again,  when  centered  about  disciples.  The 
heavenly  splendor  of  all  three  is  one ;  and  in  that 
splendor  all  those  glories  merge.  Now  push  right  into 
this.  Is  the  foregoing  analysis  at  all  correct?  To 
answer  this  question  is  the  main  purport  of  this  study. 
It  is  a  task  for  teachers. 

3.  But  thus  far  only  one  side  of  the  lesson  has  been 
in  hand.  It  began  with  the  "glory"  of  Christ,  and  ended 
with  his  victory  on  the  cross.  Now  take  up  the  theme 
of  "Cost."  Review  the  lesson  again.  Start  in  from  the 
cross.     Its  shadow  falls  everywhere. 

(a)  The  grain  of  wheat  must  "die." 

(b)  One  must  "hate"  his  life.  Man  must  not  shelter 
his  soul  from  pain  and  outlay.  He  must  consecrate  it 
unto  sacrifice,  as  Jesus  did. 

(c)  A  disciple  must  "minister"  unto  Christ.  Recall 
the  rich  young  ruler.  Christ's  follower  must  take  with 
him  the  path  of  lowliness,  cost,  and  sorrow. 

(d)  Now  combine  these  forms  of  "cost"  just  as  you 
did  those  forms  of  "glory."  They  embody,  in  fact,  but 
a  single  thought.  But  that  thought  is  rich  with  all  the 
value  of  the  sacrificial  life  and  death  of  Christ.  But  keep 
in  mind  your  special  aim.    You  are  studying  the  Master 


128  Teacher-Training  icith 

Teacher  in  his  teaching  work.  Catch  the  secret  of  his 
art.  Get  into  his  fertile  inner  mind.  Find  his  aim.  Get 
the  outer  girth  of  his  thought.  Then  watch  his  mind 
invent  and  shape  apt  ways  of  telling  what  he  thinks. 
Test  his  wisdom  in  his  art  by  cutting  out  from  his 
varied  speech  each  varying  form  of  saying  it.  So  note 
the  loss.  Thus  compute  the  gain.  Then  judge  his  skill. 
But  it  will  take  a  deal  of  thinking,  and  not  a  little  sober- 
ing life  to  give  your  mind  full  vision  of  the  wide  hori- 
zons in  some  of  Jesus'  words.  Try  this  in  that  word 
"follow  me"  in  v.  26.  It  took  Peter  all  his  life  to  find 
what  that  short  utterance  meant.  And  so  with  Paul. 
And  so  with  Jeremiah. 

4.  Now  sum  up  the  whole. 

(a)  What  is  this  lesson  anyway?  Is  its  primary 
topic  Glory  or  Sacrifice?  Or  does  it  set  the  two  in 
equilibrium  ? 

(b)  What  force  is  central  here,  Christ's  wisdom  or 
his  character? 

(c)  How  does  the  Master  carry  himself  here,  as 
well-poised  and  steady,  or  anxious  and  perturbed? 

(d)  What  do  you  think  of  that  prayer  in  the  midst, 
as  a  coefficient  of  his  teaching  power? 

(e)  What  world  forces  come  to  view  in  this  brief 
paragraph  ?    Are  you  confident  you  can  list  them  all  ? 

(f)  Just  what  is  Jesus  talking  against? 

(g)  Just  what  is  Jesus  arguing  for? 

(h)  Notice  how  fluid  Jesus'  mind  is.  How  freely  it 
moves  from  verge  to  verge  through  all  the  moral  realm ! 


The   Master  Teacher  12{ 


LESSON  XXX. 

Vine  Culture  and  Soul  Culture. 

John  15  :  i-ii. 

I.  The  figure.  Get  well  familiar  with  its  elements: 
the  husbandman,  the  vine,  the  branches,  the  fruit,  the 
barrenness,  the  culture,  the  abundance,  the  pruning,  the 
burning.  Here  is  another  parable.  Explore  it  thor- 
oughly. Keep  in  mind  two  things :  its  teaching  art ; 
and  its  teaching  aim.  It  is  a  fine  study  for  a  teacher. 
It  is  a  marvel  of  teaching  power.  It  has  a  beauly  that 
will  never  fade,  a  freshness  that  will  never  stale.  It  is 
like  a  pure,  full  spring,  unwasting,  undefiled. 

(a)  Note  first  the  vitality  of  the  figure.  It  is  a  par- 
able from  life.  It  points  to  a  growing  plant,  not  a 
builded  house.  This  is  clear  to  your  mind,  you  think. 
But  is  it?  State  the  difference.  Define  a  living  plant. 
Will  you  really  do  it?  Get  your  mind  fastened  here. 
Be  exact  and  minute.  Then  read  it  all  again,  and  see 
how  well-directed  and  distinct  your  Master's  thought  is. 

(b)  Get  your  eye  upon  the  parts  of  the  figure.  Note 
the  figure,  not  the  vine.  Be  precise  here.  There  are 
several  essential  items.  Can  you  name  them?  We  call 
it  the  parable  of  the  "vine."  But  could  you  fairly  call 
it  the  parable  of  the  "branches,"  or  of  the  "fruit,"  or  of 
the  "joy"?  Could  you  truthfully  term  it  the  parable  of 
the  "husbandman,"  or  of  vine-culture,  or  of  vital  rela- 
tions? Is  it  a  parable  of  life?  Get  clear  about  these 
parts.  Define  each  one  alone.  This  i$  more  needful 
than  you  think.  You  think  you  already  understand. 
But  close  this  book  right  here,  and  write  out  a  parable 
of  the  vine.  Try  to  do  it  exactly  and  wnth  nice  art. 
Make  it  fit  a  man's  religious  life.  Try  this.  You  may 
find  it  more  needful  than  you  think  to  put  some  resolute 
study  in  right  here. 


J  JO  Teacher-Training  icith 

(c)  Observe  the  unity  of  the  figure.  A  vine  is  strik- 
ingly manifold.  The  branch  is  not  the  vine.  The  root 
is  not  the  grape.  The  grape  is  not  the  bunch.  The  seed 
is  not  the  pulp.  The  skin  is  not  the  juice.  The  bark  is 
not  the  leaf.  The  tendril  is  not  the  stem.  The  flavor  is 
not  the  blush.  The  weight  is  not  the  size.  The  life  is 
not  the  growth.  So  multiform  is  a  vine.  And  yet  we 
never  designate  it  by  a  plural.  We  always  nominate  it 
in  the  singular. 

Now  study  the  workings  of  the  Master's  mind  just 
here.  He  is  describing  our  religious  life.  Imagine  some 
object  void  of  unifying  life  and  growth — say,  a  cathedral. 
Would  that  answer  Jesus'  purpose  just  as  well?  Be 
careful  here.  Does  the  idea  in  the  mind  of  Christ  re- 
quire, for  illustration,  some  such  a  unity  as  a  growing 
vine?  Study  into  this.  It  leads  to  the  very  rudiments 
of  the  teaching  art. 

(d)  The  husbandry.  You  know  how  a  vine  behaves 
that  has  no  care.  It  is  a  wayward,  straggling,  aimless 
tangle,  its  foliage  vastly  superfluous,  its  fruitage  acrid, 
undersized,  and  scant.  You  know  how  a  vine  behaves, 
when  trained  and  pruned.  It  is  a  bower,  burdened  with 
beautiful  fruit.  You  know  how  this  amazing  change  is 
wrought  by  the  watchful  eye  and  steady  hand  and  pres- 
cient plan  of  the  husbandman.  Now  do  some  thinking 
on  vine  culture.  Walk  through  a  neglected  field.  Sit 
down  in  a  trellised  garden.  Think,  the  way  the  Master 
did.  He  did  some  thinking  here.  As  he  threaded 
through  this  parable,  he  picked  his  path  with  masterly 
care.  Think  of  this,  parable,  with  the  husbandman's 
care  left  out.  Then  answer,  and  know  that  you  are 
interpreting  Christ,  why  did  he  put  that  feature  in? 
And  do  not  forget  that  it  is  all  and  only  a  parable. 

(e)  The  divine  mystery.  This  paragraph  deals  with 
vine  culture  and  soul  culture.  Both  concern  life.  Now 
examine,  as  carefully  as  you  like,  either  side,  the  soul 
or  the  vine,  at  this  point,  the  factor  of  life.  You  face 
a  mystery.  Set  all  else  aside,  and  look  on  a  growing 
vine.  Do  your  best.  You  say  the  vine  "grows."  Its 
tendrils  stretch,  its  leaves  expand,  its  clusters  swell,  its 
mellowing  juices  flow  far  away  upwards  and  fill  God's 


The  Master  Teacher  rji 

dainty  reservoirs.  It  is  a  living,  a  life-giving  thing. 
And,  as  you  look,  you  say :  Behold,  a  parable  from  the 
plant  to  illustrate  the  life  of  man.  But  what  do  yon 
mean  by  an  "illustration"?  Our  life  relation  to  Christ 
is  a  deep  and  hidden  wonder.  So  we  make  it  plain  by 
bringing  in  a  vine.  This  is  what  Jesus  did.  But  there 
is  a  wonder  in  the  vine,  just  as  hidden  and  profound. 
Deep  answers  unto  deep.  Now  think.  Just  what  has 
this  parable  done?  Just  Aow  does  Christ  teach?  If  you 
have  eyes  to  see,  here  is  wisdom  surpassing  all  the  sages. 
2.  The  direct  teaching.  Here  we  leave  the  parable 
and  the  vine  one  side.  We  face  the  soul  of  man.  We 
study  man's  religious  life.  To  begin  with,  set  down  all 
its  elements.  Get  the  matter  straight.  Put  the  three 
essentials  first:  Christ,  the  vine;  disciples,  the  branches; 
the  Father,  the  husbandman.  Then  set  by  itself  the  in- 
terrelation of  the  three :  Christ's  support  of  the  dis- 
ciples; the  disciples'  life  in  Christ;  the  Father's  owner- 
ship and  lordship  over  all.  Then  name  the  other  fac- 
tors:  the  discipline  unto  purity;  the  nourishing  unto 
growth  and  joy.     Now  study  each. 

(a)  Who  is  Christ?  It  is  easy  to  say,  he  is  the 
"vine."  But  that  is  the  parable ;  it  is  a  figure,  an  illustra- 
tion. Think.  The  "vine"  is  a  parable,  a  figure,  an  illustra- 
tion of  what?  Read  vv.  7-1 1,  with  your  very  mind  in  your 
very  eye.  Define  your  Lord  in  the  very  terms  he  offers 
there.  He  is  your  teacher  and  lover  and  Lord.  You 
are  his  disciple  and  beloved  and  obedient  servant.  He 
brings  you  truth  and  love  and  pure  joy.  He  is  the  out- 
flowing and  inflowing  source  of  these  pure,  unfailing 
rivulets  of  real,  soul  life.  Now  bring  in  again  the 
parable.  Let  it  "illustrate."  But  be  sure  it  opens  your 
eye  to  Christ.     And  now  estimate  his  art. 

(b)  What  does  the  Father  do?  He  embodies  his 
love  and  truth  in  Christ,  that  so  our  souls  may  receive 
that  fullness,  to  the  glory  of  his  name  and  the  full  joy 
of  the  Lord.  Try  your  bravest  to  look  in  upon  the 
Father's  work.  All  that  obstructs  that  truth  and  love 
and  true  discipleship  in  us  he  takes  away.  What  a 
superbly  vigorous  and  delicate  work!  Work  fit  for  the 
hand  of  God.     But  unto  what  teeming  increase!    Think 


IJ2  Teacher-Training  with 

again  of  the  parable.    And  again  estimate  your  Master's 
art. 

(c)  What  is  the  bountiful  burden  of  fair  fruit? 
This :  We  are  to  have  continual  fellowship  in  his  min- 
istry of  instruction,  his  proffer  of  love,  his  high-wrought 
joy.  What  a  harvest  of  Gospel  increase!  Think  into 
this.  How  this  ingathering  is  going  to  make  us  humble, 
as  Gospel  beneficiaries!  And  how  it  will  rouse  our 
souls  to  extolling  song  at  sight  of  him  in  whom  we 
live!  And  how  pure  that  joy  will  be!  It  is  fed 
on  truth  and  love,  the  very  essence  and  energy  of  pure 
spirit,  the  very  qualities  that  make  us  personal  and 
immortal.  They  are  very  life,  never  amenable  to  decay. 
Such  is  the  "fruit."  Again  recall  the  parable.  And 
still  again  make  estimate  of  your  Master's  art. 

(d)  What  is  the  "purging"  and  the  "burning"?  Do 
you  deem  them  trivial  ?  Argue  it  out  with  any  vine- 
dresser. Then  carry  your  argument  up  to  the  Father  of 
the  Lord.  Think  of  the  havoc  and  burden  and  waste 
through  hate,  and  untruth  and  pain,  how  they  cripple 
and  mar  and  blight  the  soul.  What  will  you  do  with 
them?  They  are  all  too  real.  What  will  you  do?  Once 
more  explore  that  parable.  And  once  again  inspect  the 
full  completeness  of  your  Master's  skill. 

3.  Now  summarize  and  scrutinize  the  whole.  Note 
the  fullness  of  Christ's  thought.  Weigh  all  his  spiritual 
burden.  Test  his  power.  Try  to  reverse  him  any- 
where. Face  his  themes:  truth,  love,  life,  joy,  purity, 
lordship,  docility,  obedience,  personal  communion,  glory, 
judgment.  See  how  simply  these  themes  are  related. 
Do  you  discern  the  charming  unison  of  the  whole?  It 
is  passing  masterly,  and  passing  beautiful. 

Have  you  really  noticed  v.  3?  All  this  purity,  unto 
all  this  fruitfulness,  unto  all  this  joy,  unto  all  that 
glory,  is  by  means  of  the  Master's  "word."  What  a  text 
for  teachers ! 


The  Master  Teacher 


'33 


LESSON  XXXI. 

Facing  Roman  Eagles. 
John  i8  :  28-38. 

1.  The  situation.  This  is  the  morning  of  the  cruci- 
fixion day.  Already,  this  same  morning,  Jesus  has  stood 
before  the  Jewish  court,  and  received  death  sentence  for 
blasphemy.  Now  he  is  brought  to  Pilate,  the  Roman 
governor,  for  execution.  Ail  the  Jews  stay  outside, 
wishing  to  keep  undefiled.  Jesus  stands  within,  bound, 
before  the  governor.  When  Pilate  goes  out  to  ask 
the  Jews  Christ's  crime,  they  refuse,  at  first,  to  tell. 
At  last  they  said  they  had  found  him  guilty  of  sub- 
verting the  people,  withholding  the  tax,  aspiring  to  the 
throne — none  of  them  the  real  ground  of  their  verdict. 

2.  Christ  before  Pilate.  The  governor  now  goes  in 
and  faces  Christ.  He  fastens  first  upon  the  front 
ofTense,  asking  Jesus  squarely  if  he  pretends  to  be  king 
of  the  Jews. 

(a)  Now  try  to  see  how  Jesus'  mind  sets  to  work. 
Here  is  a  thrust  out  of  the  dark.  This  charge  is  new. 
But  a  single  hour  before,  he  was  charged  and  tried  and 
doomed  as  a  blasphemer.  Whence  and  wherefore  this 
momentous  alteration?  Moreover,  among  kings  there  are 
widely  different  types.  Towards  what  is  Pilate  driving? 
Is  he  speaking  as  a  Roman ;  or  is  he  echoing  some  new 
conspiracy  of  the  Jews?  Remember,  Pilate  and  Jesus 
had  probably  never  met  before.  As  he  faces  the  gov- 
ernor now,  he  stands  laden  with  the  penalty  of  death 
for  assuming  or  aspiring  to  be  a  king.  How  shall  he 
reply?  He  must  find  from  Pilate  whence  the  insinua- 
tion springs,  what  the  insinuation  means.  Measure  the 
Master  as  he  halts.  Try  and  get  his  own  conception 
of  this  scene,  his  view  of  Pilate,  his  feeling  for  him- 
self. 


/j^  Teacher'TramJng^  loith 

(b)  Now  study  Jesus'  return  question.  It  is  not  an 
answer.  It  Holds  Pilate  off  and  bids  him  first  explain 
whose  question  he  propounds.  How  will  you  view  this? 
Does  this  inquiry  spring  from  caution?  Could  it  be  a 
veiled  assault  on  Pilate?  Might  it  be  a  way  of  hinting 
that  the  accused  was  not  of  the  ordinary  run,  and  that 
Pilate  would  do  well  to  get  his  eyes  open?  Was  it  born 
of  Christ's  innocence?  May  it  be  the  unburdening  of  his 
indignation  ?  Was  it  a  stroke  of  Socratic  genius,  trans- 
forming instantly  the  trial  into  a  conference?  Or  was 
it  a  simple  call  for  light? 

Keep  studying  this  question,  keeping  in  mind  the 
Roman  hall,  the  Roman  magistrate,  the  manacles,  and  the 
Master.  Was  the  question  a  masterly  turn  ?  Did  it  give 
a  new  complexion  to  affairs  ?  As  the  Jews  explained  the 
case,  in  what  attitude  was  Christ  set?  As  Pilate  under- 
stood the  matter,  in  what  estimate  was  Christ  held? 
As  Christ  answered,  what  attitude  did  he  take?  Sup- 
pose he  had  made  straight  answer  to  Pilate's  question, 
what  would  have  been  the  difference?  Think  here. 
Christ  faces  Pilate.  In  fact,  he  stands  there  in  the  poise 
of  perfect  innocence,  in  the  beauty  of  perfect  holiness, 
in  the  guise  of  an  infinitely  patient  lowliness,  in  the 
consciousness  of  supreme  nobility.  Out  of  such  a  fault- 
less, well-poised  manhood  came  that  counter  inquiry, 
.calling  upon  the  governor,  before  the  criminal,  to  ex- 
plain. Think.  Would  the  Master's  inner  worth,  his  per- 
fect innocence  of  all  arrogance  and  hate  and  guile,  shin- 
ing through  his  outer  seemliness,  gain  any  sort  of  utter- 
ance, and  get  in  any  sort  of  testimony  before  the  mind 
of  a  man  like  Pilate?  It  would  be  futile  before  the  mob 
outside.  They  are  hot  with  deadly  prejudice.  But  think 
of  Pilate.  He  and  Jesus  are  alone.  Would  the  pure 
and  quiet  glow  of  Jesus'  steady  eye  reach  the  eye  of 
Pilate,  as  he  bade  the  governor  ponder  his  own  question 
and  disclose  its  source?  Do  you  see?  The  Master  is 
teaching  still,  though  at  every  disadvantage.  Watch  him 
work.  It  is  a  scene  quite  worth  your  study.  Fine  busi- 
ness is  afoot.  Jesus  is  verging  near  a  grand  confession. 
In  a  few  moments  it  will  leave  his  lips.  Watch  his 
dextrous  preparation  of  the  way. 


The  Master  Teacher  /J5 


(c)  Pilate's  reply.  It  is  a  trifle  curt.  But  it  avails 
for  Christ.  It  answers.  His  question  hails  from  the 
Jews. 

(d)  Christ's  first  confession  (v.  36).  Here  is  a  place 
to  square  yourself  for  work.  His  words  are  few;  but 
how  their  volumes  roll !  "My  kingdom  ;"  "this  world  ;" 
"my  servants;"  "no  fighting;"  "not  hence."  What 
themes !  •  Have  you  any  notion  you  can  survey  their 
sweep?  Deeps  open  instantly.  Christ's  kingdom  is  not 
like  Rome's.  Here  resounds  one  of  the  main  burdens 
of  all  Christ's  words.  Read  the  Beatitudes.  Recall 
his  Temptation.  Here  is  the  upheaving  of  a  mighty  sea. 
And  it  meets  a  mighty  counter  tide.  Pilate  stands  for 
force,  high  dominion,  cruel  war.  Jesus  stands  for 
truth  and  gentleness  and  peace.  There  they  stand.  Let 
your  imagination  play.  It  is  a  stupendous  scene.  Jesus 
is  teaching.  And  he  is  handling  majestic  themes.  He 
is  matching,  there  in  manacles,  the  force  of  a  holy  life 
against  the  onset  of  a  Roman  sword.  He  seems  a 
weakling.  He  stands  in  bonds.  But  he  is  a  king.  And 
he  knows  his  lineage.  It  is  sublime.  And  it  is  teaching, 
teaching  of  matchless  depth  and  daring  and  true  dignity. 

(e)  Now  Pilate  drives  his  original  question  home. 
Watch  it  get  its  shape.  Jesus  has  said  strange  words. 
But  they  concerned  his  realm.  This  implies  that  he 
deems  himself  a  king.  This  implication  must  come 
clear.  "Are  you  then  a  king?"  This  is  like  a  Roman 
sword,  short  and  to  the  point. 

(f)  Jesus'  answer  is  equally  strong  and  plain.  "The 
word  you  utter  I  adopt.  I  am  a  king.  This  is  the  point 
and  purpose  of  my  life.  This  is  my  sole  mission."  So 
the  Lord  responds.  He  not  merely  and  barely  answers, 
"yes."  He  fairly  enthrones  his  claim.  Royalty  ordered 
his  birth,  shaped  his  plans,  girded  all  his  life's  endeavors. 
First  and  last,  through  and  through  he  is  a  king. 

Here  is  a  scene  for  your  keenest  eye.  Try  to  define 
Christ's  posture.  Surely  he  is  no  coward.  And  he  is 
no  dullard.  And  he  is  in  his  official  pretense  no  nig- 
gard. And  he,  is  no  sluggard.  He  stands  within  two 
hours  of  the  cross.  But  while  the  day  lasts  he  works. 
Work  away  at  this.     Describe  the  Lord,  as  he  holds  the 


ij6  Teacher-Training  with 

Roman  governor  at  halt,  while  he  expounds  his  plans 
and  claims. 

(g)  See  his  second  confession  grow  complete.  He 
defines  the  nature  of  his  reign.  He  is  witness  to  the 
Truth.  Here  is  the  vital  heart  of  all  this  scene.  In  the 
Lord's  brief  day  this  hour  is  deepening  eventide.  But 
the  light  of  this  confession  is,  for  all  the  eyes  of  all  who 
ever  essay  to  teach,  the  glory  of  full  noon.  "  To  the  very 
death  the  Master  stands  for  the  very  Truth. 

3.  Christ's  teaching  qualities. 

(a)  His  patience.  Review  Christ's  public  life.  How 
is  it  all  coming  out?  Nazareth  chased  him  for  his  life. 
Capernaum  was  as  brass.  The  five  thousand  all  mis- 
understood. The  sadducees  were  intractable.  The  phari- 
sees  were  bitter  and  proud.  The  Sanhedrin  vote  him  a 
blasphemer  and  stand  just  outside,  fretting  for  his  blood. 
All  that  is  left  is  Pilate  and  the  cross.  Who  but  Christ 
would  have  kept  back  the  wail  of  bitter  despair.  But 
measure  his  patience.  It  is  absolutely  infinite.  What  a 
hint  for  teachers ! 

(b)  His  energy.  Review  his  life's  full  stretch.  How 
tense  its  strain  has  been  !  But  his  loins  are  girt  to  the 
very  last,  and  he  is  as  a  strong  man  ready  for  a  race. 
This  last  announcement  has  all  the  vigor  of  youth.  Do 
you  see  the  secret  of  this  unwasting  virility?  He  was  a 
devotee  to  Truth.  And  his  zeal  was  pure.  Imagine  it 
giving  way.  It  is  impossible,  absolutely.  This  is  big 
with  meaning  for  teachers. 

(c)  His  gentleness.  Review  his  surroundings  again. 
He  is  in  a  Roman  hall,  beleaguered  with  the  implements 
and  arrogance  and  soldiery  of  world-conquering  Rome. 
And  he  stood  there  as  no  underling.  But  study  him. 
How  gentle  he  is !  In  exactest  literalness,  he  is  the 
Prince  of  Peace. 

(d)  His  purity.  That  word  Truth.  In  all  this 
stately  conference  that  element  is.  the  center  and  sum. 
For  light  and  force  it  is  like  the  sun.  He  is  King  of 
Truth.  This  is  his  last  confession.  Next  comes  the 
cross.    What  a  word  for  teachers ! 


The  Master  Teacher  ijj 


LESSON  XXXII. 

Risen,  But  Teaching  Still. 

Luke  24  :  13-32. 

I.  Introductory.  One  feature  here  is  easily  supreme. 
Jesus  is  raised.  He  is  ranging  in  a  realm  of  unexampled 
triumph.  All  his  foes  are  beneath.  All  his  struggles 
are  behind.  He  is  demonstrated  Prince  of  Life.  Read 
over  and  over  all  these  recitals,  until  you  have  real 
share  in  their  transcendent  quiet  and  peace,  the  risen, 
self-revealing  Christ  being  the  center  of  j'-our  thought. 

(a)  Contrast  the  situation  of  Christ  and  the  state  of 
his  disciples.  While  he  was  all  light,  transfigured,  they 
were  in  the  dark,  all  bewildered.  Let  both  these  reali- 
ties have  place.  Open  your  mind.  Fall  in  with  those 
two  disciples  sympathetically.  Bring  right  along  your 
own  forebodings  and  dark  wonderings  about  the  grave. 
Sense  their  state — the  cloud,  the  wrench,  the  grief. 

(b)  Now  imagine.  See  Christ  making  up  to  them. 
He  is  moving  in  light  and  peace.  They  are  groping  in 
darkness  and  distress.  See  how  he  joins  them.  Hov/ 
true  to  life !  How  like  the  Lord !  He  is  the  soul  of 
gracious  courtesy.  He  glides  alongside  those  heavy, 
jaded  lives  just  as  freely  and  easily  and  naturally  now 
as  ever  he  did  before  his  death. 

(c)  Now  study  this  marvel  of  dissonance  and  uni- 
son. The  transcendent  Christ  treads  upon  the  earth 
with  all  the  lowliness  requisite  to  keep  perfect  step  with 
grief-stricken,  waj-faring  men.  His  majesty  is  confess- 
edly unsearchable.  But  his  partnership  with  narrow 
and  humble  lives  is  free  and  genuine  as  the  wooing  of  a 
mother's  love.  Conceive  the  very  attitude  and  air,  the 
very  look  and  voice  of  Christ  as  he  stepped  forward  into 
friendly  conference  with  those  drooping  lives.  Here 
is  something  going  on,  worth  all  your  eyes.     How  does 


tj8  Teacher 'Training  with 

peace  lay  its  hand  on  anguish?  How  does  strength 
make  touch  with  weakness?  How  does  light  shine  in  on 
darkness?    Look  here  and  see, 

2.  Christ  makes  the  initial  step  himself.  They  were 
not  disposed  to  draw  up  to  him.  He  drew  up  to  them. 
They  were  ail  engrossed  in  grief.  He  broke  his  way. 
But  see  just  how. 

(a)  He  feels  after  the  train  of  their  conversation. 
''What  words  are  these  which  you  are  exchanging  with 
each  other,  as  you  walk?"  What  a  lesson  for  teachers! 
Go  where  men  walk.  Find  what  men  feel.  Hear 
what  men  say. 

(h)  But  note.  Jesus'  query  was  not  a  curious  peer- 
ing. In  reality  it  is  an  invitation.  He  is  asking  them  to 
open  out  to  him  their  evident  grief,  and  this  solely 
with  an  eye  to  steady  and  console.  Read  vv.  17-24.  Sec 
how  gently  and  adroitly  he  wins  his  way. 

(c)  But  see  again.  This  ingenious  way  of  his  is  not 
mere  dexterity.  A  goodly  tide  of  brotherly  sympathy  is 
flowing  here.  It  is  a  warm  and  appealing  friendli- 
ness that  is  finding  out  a  way  for  the  Master's  further 
ministry.  Study  with  your  nicest  thought  this  wise  in- 
vasion of  Jesus'  kindliness  into  those  sorrow-darkened 
lives.  Here  is  a  fine  display  of  finest  art — the  art  of 
sympathy.  Look  into  it.  See  how  love  and  true  dis- 
creetness walk  together.  Real  compassion  is  ingenious. 
Skill  and  tender  friendliness  go  arm  in  arm.  Here  is 
heaven's  own  light  for  teachers. 

3.  The  Lord's  cJicer.  And  now  their  tale  is  told. 
Their  sorrow  has  broken  through  speech  a  highway  to 
the  heart  of  Christ.  He  has  their  secret.  They  have 
his  ear.  Now  they  walk  in  unison.  And  yet  how  far 
asunder  they  are !  As  they  complete  their  recital,  they 
stand  unrelieved.  They  see  no  thoroughfare.  All  seems 
blank  and  dark.  But  the  Master  is  all  light.  But  he  has 
won  their  heed.  Their  souls  are  unto  him,  though 
their  eyes  are  blurred.  Thus  they  fare  along.  Now 
watch  your  Lord. 

(a)  He  turns  about  to  ancient  Hebrew  Scripture.  He 
selects  the  Messianic  parts.  He  lifts  aloft  two  themes: 
the  Messianic  Sufferings,  the  Messianic  Joys.     And  then 


The  Master  Teacher  /jp 

he  chides  in  his  companions  two  faults:  their  want  of 
thought,  and  their  want  of  faith. 

(b)  Now  gird  up  your  loins.  Can  you  walk  with 
Christ  within  these  deeps,  along  these  heights?  Thither 
he  led  those  sufferers  for  their  relief.  Do  not  refuse 
to  follow.  But  you  will  need  all  your  strength.  The 
Messianic  Sorrows!  The  Messianic  Majesties!  Be- 
tween these  two  far-sweeping  themes,  in  the  presence 
of  those  two  plodding,  common  men,  vibrate  the 
Master's  words.  Think  of  the  Messianic  sacrifice.  Why 
"must"  he  suffer  so?  Why  must  he  suffer  at  all?  No 
profounder  question  will  ever  face  your  mind,  and  none 
more  fairly  demanding  an  honorable  reply.  It  cannot 
be  trifled  with.  This  must  be  understood,  if  you  aspire 
to  teach.  Do  not  snap  at  answers  here.  You  touch  good 
teaching  at  its  very  nerve. 

4.  Now  see  where  they  stand.  They  have  piodded 
forward  till  their  home  is  reached.  They  stand  before 
the  door.  Instinctively  the  two  turn  in.  Just  as  prop- 
erly Jesus  holds  straight  on. 

(a)  Here  is  a  point  to  pay  good  heed.  As  this  con- 
versation opened,  Jesus  fell,  in  uninvited.  They  had 
no  inclination  towards  his  fellowship.  But  see  now.  As 
he  essays  to  draw  apart,  they  step  across  his  path  and 
constrain  him  to  be  their  guest.  Here  is  something 
fine.  He  showed  himself  their  friend.  They  instinctively 
befriend  him.  Now  their  kindliness  is  mutual.  This 
is  a  teacher's  most  precious  reward.  Study  with  all 
your  soul  to  see  how  it  was  won. 

(b)  But  the  scene  is  not  yet  complete.  Enter  with 
the  Lord  and  see  him  join  their  feast.  Do  not  forget. 
He  is  the  risen  Christ.  He  is  past  all  weariness  or  need 
of  meat.  But  see  him  recline  with  these  way-worn  men. 
Can  you  define  his  mood  and  attitude?  He  does  not 
eat.  But  he  truly  joins  their  meal.  He  takes  his  place. 
He  took  the  portion  of  bread ;  he  blessed  it  before  their 
eyes;  he  parted  it  between  the  two.  And  then  their 
eyes  began  to  see.     And  then  he  became  invisible. 

(c)  Now  study.  For  a  teacher's  eye  few  earthly 
scenes  will  ever  transcend  this.  Look  upon  this  humble 
journey  and  simple  meal.     Here  that  long  drawn  con- 


i^o  Teacher-  Training 

ference  culminated.  This  fellowship  at  the  feast  was 
the  final  touch.  As  he  took  their  food  and  spoke  the 
word  of  blessing,  the  vision  broke  upon  them,  their 
eyes  awoke,  their  burning  hearts  grew  clear,  their 
trouble  calmed,  they  believed  the  prophets,  they  under- 
stood why  Jesus  died,  they  knew  him  risen  and  that  his 
glory  had  begun.  But  look  again.  See  how  this  change 
was  wrought.  Are  you  at  all  sure  you  understand? 
Review  it  all.  Here  is  just  about  all  you  ever  need  to 
know  of  teaching  art.  Jesus  the  crucified,  the  glorified, 
the  compassionate ;  the  two  disciples,  downcast,  foot- 
sore, ahungered ;  the  majestic  programme  of  Hebrew 
hope,  the  sublime  fulfillment  in  the  Nazarene,  the 
humble  highway  conference ;  the  lowly,  friendly  meal ; 
the  burning,  the  vision,  the  vanishing.  Con  it  all.  Make 
your  soul  familiar  with  your  Master's  Scriptures,  his 
sorrows,  his  glory,  his  eagerness  after  men,  his  neigh- 
borly wayside  ways,  his  greetings,  his  blessings,  his 
guestly  grace,  his  perfect  brotherliness.  He  was  ideally 
a  friend.  He  knew  how  to  teach. 
5.  Teaching  hints. 

(a)  Breadth.  Will  you  note  the  sweep  of  your 
Master's  thought?  Here  were  two  humble  men.  He 
woke  familiar  strains.  But  to  give  them  joy  he  trav- 
ersed immeasurable  realms.     Get  compass. 

(b)  Experience.  Every  word  of  Christ  was  warm 
from  his  own  life.  This  life  was  inextricably  woven 
into  theirs.  That  interwoven  life,  for  a  little  sundered 
and  eclipsed,  he  now  displays  in  unity  and  light. 

(c)  Friendliness.  Study  the  easy  entrance  of  this 
supernal  life  into  humble  paths.  What  is  the  nature 
of  a  richly  furnished  teacher's  approach  to  a  meager 
pupil's  life?  Is  it  condescension?  What  is  conde- 
scension?    What  is  friendliness? 


Summary  Studies 

CHRIST'S   GENERAL  TEACHING   TRAITS 

Each    lesson    that    follows   here   being   singly   built  on  al 
that  have   gone  before 


141 


LESSON  XXXIII. 
He  Was  Full  of  Truth. 

This  is  an  elemental  trait.  It  lay  among  the  founda- 
tions of  Christ's  being.  Feel  after  his  deepest  inner 
consciousness.  Truth  was  a  trunk  nerve.  His  assur- 
ance was  rock-fast.  See  if  you  can  detect  him  betraying 
anxiety  or  timidity  or  uncertainty  anywhere.  See  if  he 
ever  seems  to  be  feeling  his  way,  as  though  in  the  dark ; 
recalling  some  words,  as  though  to  apologize;  revising 
a  verdict,  as  though  he  had  misjudged;  knitting  his 
brow,  as  though  nonplused.  No.  Timidity,  misgiving, 
remorse  were  sentiments  he  never  felt.  He  never  re- 
traced his  steps,  nor  recalled  his  words.  He  spoke 
what  he  knew.  And  his  confidence  was  not  faint  or 
dim.  It  always  stood  at  full  meridian.  All  his  thoughts 
shone  clear ;  all  his  words  had  weight.  '  It  is  amazing  to 
see  how  many  of  his  utterances  are  axioms. 

1.  But  what  needs  primary  heed  is,  that  not  merely 
in  his  opinion  nor  in  his  testimony,  but  in  his  very  being 
Truth  stood  identified.  He  and  Truth  were  one.  This 
is  truly  a  stupendous  claim.  But  nothing  less  is  fair. 
Test  it  where  you  wish.  Reproduce  any  scene  you  like ; 
and  see  what  happens,  when  the  Master  speaks.  Facing 
whatever  company,  treating  whatever  inquiry,  Christ's 
part  in  the  scene  is  not  merely  his  word,  not  merely  his 
deed;  it  is  always  primarily  himself.  In  every  speech, 
however  brief ;  in  every  deed,  however  fleet,  his  person 
flashes  out  full-orbed.  In  every  gesture  his  whole  mo- 
mentum is  engrossed.  He  is  the  Truth.  Study  this. 
Every  lesson  is  an  illustration. 

2.  This  means  that  Jesus  had  an  infinitely  vigorous 
self-respect.  He  bore  sharp  contradictions — all  that  evil 
genius  could  invent — and  with  a  meekness  that  has 
never  been  matched.  He  suffered  every  reproach,  not 
declining  the  cross.     But  hear  his  verdict.     Those  con- 

143 


1^4  Teacher'Training  with 

tradictions  were  the  head  and  front  of  human  sin.  In 
scorning  Christ  wrong-doing  reached  its  apex.  But  the 
dreadful  summit  of  that  sin  owes  all  its  awful  eminence 
to  the  heavenly  heights  in  Christ  which  it  assailed.  The 
Saviour  meekly  bore  the  storm.  But  he  did  not  bow 
his  head  nor  leave  his  base.  He  stood  in  all  his  majesty, 
well  knowing  that  his  high  integrity  had  not  been 
touched.  He  and  Truth  stood  fast.  Truth  and  he  were 
one.  The  same  high  consciousness  of  self  shows  grandly 
in  all  his  conversations  with  his  friends.  Study  the  pro- 
portions of  any  scene  where  followers  are  hanging  on 
Christ's  lips,  or  clustering  about  his  acts.  See  how  he 
towers.  He  overtops  all  throngs  like  Lebanon.  In  all 
his  gentle  friendliness,  he  is  like  the  everlasting  hills, 
benignant,  but  supreme.  It  is  always  so.  And  it  is  so  by 
the  Lord's  design.  He  knows  his  majesty.  It  is  of 
his  very  substance.  He  is  the  Lord.  In  him  men  live. 
He  is  their  vine.  He  is  the  bread.  He  is  the  Truth.  He 
is  his  own  best  gift.  He  guides  and  lures  men  to  him- 
self. So  supreme,  so  central,  so  inwrought,  so  inlaid 
with  very  Truth  is  the  Master  Teacher's  self-respect. 

3.  This  means  that  he  was  always  real.  He  was 
deeply  genuine.  He  never  passed  out  counterfeits.  He 
never  made  pretense.  You  deem  this  commonplace. 
But  are  you  sure  you  see  its  reach?  See  if  you  can  point 
out  scenes  where  such  suggestions  might  occur.  Study 
the  second  and  third  temptations.  Feel  for  the  deeper 
tides  in  that  talk  with  Pilate.  Think  what  habit,  cus- 
tom, tradition  had  fastened  to  such  an  act  as  washing 
hands.  Follow  this  tendency  out.  It  has  cut  deep  fis- 
sures in  human  life.  Jesus  often  faced  it.  It  often 
proffered  gain.  See  if  you  detect  his  swerving  by  the 
breadth  of  one  hair.  Then  view  it  from  the  other  side. 
See  if  Jesus  always  fully  meant  all  he  so  plainly  said, 
or  really  intended  all  he  seemingly  did.  Take  the  theme 
and  act  of  prayer.  Take  his  approaches  towards  the 
poor.  Take  his  words  on  birds,  or  on  the  Holy  Spirit, 
or  on  humility.  Follow  this  up.  See  whether  you  are 
really  ready  to  abide  by  all  it  means  to  say  that  Christ 
was  always  genuine. 

4.  Now  explore  his  equities.    In  all  his  teachings  see 


The  Master  Teacher  145 

how  values  balance.  Dealings  must  be  fair.  He  is  al- 
ways setting  deeds  and  issues  in  mutual  respect.  Review 
his  portraits  of  a  steward.  Hear  his  oft  repeated  laws 
of  true  discipleship.  Mark  his  accent  on  repentance. 
Hear  his  warnings  to  Capernaum,  and  his  woe  upon 
Jerusalem.  Study  again  that  prodigal's  home.  Note 
how  sadly  its  equilibrium  was  disturbed.  Then  see  if 
you  can  show  exactly  how  that  equilibrium  was  restored. 
Grand  equities  are  embodied  there.  Then  look  into  the 
equity  of  the  Lord's  awards,  c.  g.,  for  such  as  suffer 
wrong.  Essential  truth  is  hidden  here.  But  it  nestles 
in  the  heart  of  grace ;  and  the  Saviour's  cross  is  its  only 
key.  But  everywhere  the  Lord  arouses  conscience,  and 
bids  each  hearer  to  be  fair.  He  builds  on  equity ;  and 
never  more  truly  than  when  he  hangs  upon  the  cross. 
There  infinite  cost  stands  facing  infinite  wrong.  That 
anguish  was  no  pretense.  It  embodied  genuine  truth. 
In  those  deep  sorrows,  as  in  the  pangs  of  true  repent- 
ance, full  equity  stands  unveiled.  There,  as  always  else- 
where, Christ  and  Truth  are  one. 

5.  And  sometime  take  the  sum  of  Christ's  convic- 
tions. Get  the  content  of  his  mind.  What  did  he  be- 
lieve? Find  the  measure  of  his  full  faith  about  us  men. 
Be  minute,  and  be  exact,  and  keep  on  to  its  very  end. 
What  does  Jesus  think  of  men?  Then  seize  other 
themes. 

6.  Now  study  the  Master's  fine  regard  for  Truth, 
as  he  scored  falsity  in  men.  How  he  despises  arro- 
gance !  How  he  spurns  formality !  How  he  hates  a 
hypocrite !  Do  you  catch  the  irony  in  his  request  for 
the  common  boon  of  heaven — a  cup  of  water — from  the 
race-proud  Samaritan  ?  Do  you  see  how  his  elemental 
truth  works  to  the  same  undoing  of  sham  valuations, 
as  he  dines  with  outcast  men  ?  He  has  but  to  sit  and 
eat,  and  the  gaudy  fabric  of  class  pride  must  sink  in 
full  collapse.  It  is  high  drama  to  walk  in  the  honest 
Master's  wake,  and  see  the  social  bubbles  burst. 

7.  Test  it  in  particular  in  his  call  for  penitence. 
Impenitence  is  defiance  of  plain  truth.  It  hides.  It 
makes  out.  It  lies.  Repentance  is  of  the  truth. 
Through  and  through  it  is  genuine.     It  is  confession. 


j^6  Teacher-Training  with 

Deep  in  its  very  heart  it  is  real  and  frank  and  true. 
A  repentant  soul  hates  darkness.  An  unrepentant 
man  hates  light.  He  seeks  the  path  of  deceit  and  all 
hypocrisy.  Here  are  deep  things.  And  Jesus  touched 
the  rock  in  his  thoughts  about  repentance.  Tune  your 
ear  to  his  words.  They  are  like  a  cathedral  bell.  Their 
tones  roll  everywhere.  And  their  central  melody  is  the 
music  of  pure  Truth. 

8.  Then  watch  your  Master's  posture  before  an  am- 
buscade. Men  plotted  to  entrap  his  steps,  as  though  he 
was  forever  eluding  light.  See  him  uncover  each  decoy. 
He  always  walked  in  light.  His  transit  was  like  the 
passing  of  the  sun.  He  could  not  be  entrapped.  And, 
what  was  more,  he  could  not  be  escaped.  The  plotters 
were  always  ensnared.  He  opened  every  trick.  His 
simplicity  was  wiser  than  any  device.  And  all  his  secret 
lay,  not  in  deeper  and  more  intricate  counterplots,  but  in 
unmixed  verity. 

Such  is  one  pure  trait  of  Christ.  He  was  engrossed 
in  verity.  He  plead  for  deep  reality  in  men.  He  had 
no  place  for  vanity.  He  always  made  deceivers  ill  at 
ease.  He  made  truth-lovers  glad.  He  felt  no  wish,  he 
had  no  use  for  subterfuge.  His  path  was  always  straight 
and  plain.  His  tones  were  full  and  clear  and  firm.  His 
girdle  was  bright  immortal  Truth.  Hence  all  his  fire 
and  skill.  Hence  all  his  peace  and  strength.  He  cher- 
ished Truth  with  all  his  heart.  He  guarded  Truth  at 
every  gate.    He  was  Truth's  bravest  champion. 


The  Master  Teacher  147 


LESSON  XXXIV. 
He  Was  Full  of  Grace. 

The  face  of  Christ  must  have  been  beautifully  benign. 
The  movements  of  his  good-will  must  have  hung  in  per- 
fect poise  and  swung  in  freest  ease.  For  he  embodied 
and  unburdened  all  the  love  of  God ;  and  he  had  com- 
passion on  all  the  ills  of  men.  Scan  each  Gospel  page. 
Find  how  frequent  is  that  word  "all."  He  healed  "all" 
that  were  sick.  He  went  through  "all"  their  towns. 
Come,  "all"  who  labor.  Christ  was  no  provincial  nor 
recluse.  He  went  "everywllere."  And  his  impulse  was 
pure  love. 

1.  Study  this  in  detail.  Think  of  those  5000  whom 
he  fed.  Imagine  Jesus  singling  out  and  sending  ofif  a 
single  one !  His  bounty  came  to  each.  See  him  spy 
Zaccheus.  He  had  a  vigilant  eye.  Observe  him  leave 
the  surging  feast  and  make  his  lonely  way  to  that 
friendless  invalid  at  Bethesda.  Watch  his  heavenly 
kindness  run  those  errands  on  that  resurrection  day. 
No  mortal  stood  so  lone  nor  so  remote,  that  Christ's 
attentions  had  to  fail.  He  tended  "every"  branch.  Fol- 
low this  with  all  your  eyes.  See  how  Jesus  singles  out 
his  ministries.  And  notice  this.  As  the  Master  turns 
from  multitudes  to  one,  does  his  benevolence  cor- 
respondingly contract? 

2.  Then  study  love's  diversity.  See  Christ  heal  that 
blindness  in  the  ninth  of  John,  and  feed  that  hunger 
in  the  sixth.  Then  note  his  teachings,  as  they  ensue  in 
either  case.  And  now  consider.  Is  the  Master's  kind 
solicitude  throughout  these  scenes  identically  the  same? 
One  hour  he  grants  men  physical  sight  and  bodily  food — 
both  favors  wrought  in  perishing  flesh.  Anon  he  opens 
to  the  inner  eye  and  the  undying  life  a  vision  of  the 
Son  of  Man  and  of  the  bread  of  life.  See  now  if 
you  can  fathom  the  mighty  deepenings  of  his  concern,  as 


J4S  Teacher-TraJning  with 

he  turns  his  kindly  ministrations  from  the  dying  body 
to  the  deathless  soul.  Both  are  love.  But  they  diverge. 
Can  you  see  the  difference?  And  can  you  trace  it  in 
your  treatment  of  your  class.  Now  v^atch  his  mercy 
towards  the  young  ruler  and  Zaccheus.  Get  your  mind 
attent.  Both  these  men  are  rich.  Both  have  rank.  Both 
show  respect.  Both  seek  his  face.  Both  gain  his  love. 
But  mark  the  difference.  The  youth  resents,  the  publi- 
can adopts  Christ's  gentle  intimations  of  self-denying 
good-will.  Now  be  distinct.  Ponder  separately  the 
Master's  love  for  each.  Wherein  do  his  kindly  senti- 
ments towards  each  exactly  agree  and  coincide?  And 
wherein  do  they  become  unlikef  Can  you  make  this 
plain  in  words?  Can  you  illustrate  it  in  your  handling 
of  your  class?  Do  you  have  like  variety?  Now  com- 
pare the  love  that  made  him  weep  before  Jerusalem  with 
the  love  that  took  expressiorf  in  the  parable  of  the  vine. 
One  is  the  agony  of  a  heart's  farewell  before  beloved 
who  fling  contempt  and  unrelenting  scorn.  The  other 
is  a  joyful  outflow  of  affection  in  a  tender  parting  con- 
ference with  eternal  friends.  In  both  these  scenes  the 
voice  is  tremulous  with  love.  And  the  voice  is  one. 
But  here  is  twofold  love  as  surely  as  there  is  a 
double  range  in  Lebanon.  So  study  love's  variety.  Make 
familiar  to  your  eye  the  love  that  provides  an  evening 
meal,  and  the  love  that  cherishes  an  immortal  life ;  the 
love  that  opens  a  sightless  eye,  and  the  love  that  broods 
over  an  unfolding  mind  ;  the  love  that  strives  in  vain 
to  dislodge  selfishness ;  and  the  love  that  feels  full 
sympathy  gain  place ;  the  love  that  gladly  shares  the 
wholesome  pains  of  penitence,  and  the  love  that  meekly 
bears  with  obdurate  hate ;  the  love  that  is  pure  solici- 
tude, and  the  love  that  has  perfect  peace ;  the  love  that 
breaks  down  in  wails,  and  the  love  that  rises  up  in  song. 
Search  out  illustrations. 

3.  Examine  the  occasions  that  drew  out  the  Sav- 
iour's love.  See  men's  hunger,  pain,  and  solitude ;  their 
peril,  fear,  and  crudity ;  their  cravings,  and  capacity,  and 
neglect;  their  wonder,  darkness,  and  bewilderment; 
their  promise,  and  their  hopelessness.  Scan  every  one. 
Find  out  what  moved  and  drew  the  Lord. 


The  Master  Teacher 


'49 


4.  Mark  whom  he  loved.  His  mother,  and  the 
Magdalen;  his  disciples,  and  Samaritans;  proud  phari- 
sees,  and  hard  publicans;  the  leprous,  the  friendless,  the 
bereft ;  the  infant,  the  decrepit,  the  despised ;  the  un- 
tutored, the  unclad,  the  unfed ;  the  heavy-laden,  the 
demoniac,  the  lost.  Pursue  the  search.  Enumerate 
every  one.  It  is  a  famous  throng,  multitudinous,  motley, 
curious.     But  for  once  they  were  genuinely  beloved. 

5.  Inspect  his  love's  inventiveness.  Find  the  marks 
of  downright  ingenuity  in  that  parable  to  Simon  in  Luke 
7;  in  that  many-sided  argument  against  greed  in  Luke 
12;  in  his  answer  to  Peter  in  Matt.  18;  in  his  words  to 
that  lawyer  in  Luke  10;  in  his  discussion  of  the  cost  of 
glory  in  John  12 ;  and  in  his  parable  of  the  vine.  Every 
device  is  in  the  interest  of  love.  For  the  progress  of  free 
grace,  Christ's  thouglit  would  instantly  find  or  hew  new 
paths,  if  none  appeared.  His  ministry  of  good-will  was 
no  slave  of  custom  and  fixed  ways  and  forms.  His 
kindliness  was  always  free.  Here  are  rich  rewards  for 
teachers,  as  surely  as  they  search. 

6.  See  how  his  love  endured.  "How  often"  did  he 
try  to  call  Jerusalem  under  his  wing?  How  many  were 
"most"  of  his  mighty  works  in  Bethsaida?  How  often 
did  unkind  retorts  draw  forth  new  evidence  of  his 
kindliness?  How  much  did  Peter  cost  him?  Did  you 
ever  try  to  fathom  his  forbearance,  when  they  "bound" 
him?  How  far  had  love  been  strained,  when  he  washed 
the  disciples'  feet?  Then,  when  they  scourged  him.  do 
you  think  there  was  then  in  the  patient  Saviour's  love 
any  of  the  breath  of  life?  Suppose  you  try  to' get  his 
love's  full  strength.  See  if  you  can  find  where  its  ten- 
sion broke  away,  all  his  patience  being  gone.  And  then, 
that  public  pageant  of  the  cross  I  Did  you  every  try  to 
compute  its  draft  upon  your  Saviour's  love?  Follow 
up  this  work.  Study  the  Saviour's  love.  See  if  you 
can  find  anywhere  its  hound.  Surely  this  deserves 
respect.  You  hesitate  to  begin.  But  do  you  care  to 
decline?  It  is  the  very  heart  of  Christ.  Look.  What 
is  his  love's  full  strength? 

7.  See  the  full  measure  of  its  condescension.  Of  all 
his    loving    deeds,    which    would   you    esteem   the   most 


i^o  Teacher-Training  icith 

minute?  How  far  dozun  would  Jesus  stoop?  Was  any 
act  too  humble?  Did  he  scorn  the  small  details?  What 
was  his  posture,  characteristically?  Here  is  God's  pure 
light  for  teachers. 

8.  Compute  the  precious  content  of  his  love.  The 
framework  of  his  ministry  w^as  an  alabaster  box.  What 
costly  ointment  did  it  contain?  Never  anything  less 
than  his  own  full  self.  Test  this  anywhere.  Go  through 
that  talk  with  the  woman  of  Samaria.  Discern  just  how 
it  ends.  Look  into  that  covenant  between  Peter  and 
Christ,  as  they  leave  that  boat.  Find  the  climax  of  that 
conference  at  Emmaus.  Fathom  the  passion  of  that 
woman  at  the  Master's  feet;  just  what  was  her  reward? 
Try  it  with  Zaccheus :  what  was  his  permanent  gain? 
Nothing  less  than  Christ.  But  approach  the  question 
from  the  other  side.  As  Jesus  offered  men  everywhere 
his  love,  what  did  he  mean  to  give?  Always  himself. 
It  was  so  at  Bethesda  and  in  Bethany,  in  the  mount  and 
on  the  sea ;  in  every  synagogue  and  at  every  feast ;  when 
commissioning  and  when  correcting  the  Twelve.  And 
its  earthly  climax  was  on  the  cross.  There  he  literally 
offered  up  himself.  Past  all  denial,  here  are  topics 
worth  our  thought.  Heaven  help  all  would-be  teachers 
to  come  to  fully  see  how  the  Master  Teacher  loved. 


The  Master  Teacher  i^i 


LESSON  XXXV. 
He  Was  Wholly  Pure. 

I.  Note  Christ's  estimates  and  ways  with  things  that 
perish.  Name  any  perishable  possession  you  can  find  he 
ever  owned.  When  he  was  crucified  he  had  one  seam- 
less robe.  What  more?  Hear  again  that  word  to  the 
rich  youth  :  "Sell  all."  Suppose  the  youth  had  obeyed. 
How  full  a  duplicate  of  such  self-denial  would  he  have 
found  in  Christ?  Call  up  again  those  frequent  words  to 
his  disciples  about  hating  possessions  and  friends.  How 
far  did  those  teachings  find  echoes  in  his  own  life? 
Listen  again  to  that  "Be  not  anxious  for  the  morrow." 
Do  you  catch  there  deep  undertones  of  Christ's  own 
heart?  Recall  that  prayer,  "Give  us  day  by  day  our 
daily  bread."  How  literally,  do  you  take  it,  the  Master 
lived  by  that  petition?  Remember  his  direction  to  the 
Twelve  to  take  no  purse.  How  closely,  would  you  say, 
did  his  own  practice  illustrate  that  rule?  Think  of 
what  he  said  about  birds  and  foxes.  Do  you  suspect  he 
ever  found  extremities  where  he  found  comfort  for  him- 
self in  God's  care  of  birds?  Do  you  suppose  his  forty 
days  of  fasting,  and  the  ensuing  Satanic  solicitation  had 
any  life-long  meaning  for  Christ?  After  all,  what  was 
the  meaning  of  his  emphasis  upon  his  ministry  to  the 
"poor"?  Was  he  merely  comforting  misery ?  Surely  his 
intent  looked  deeper  than  that.  Read  again  that  parable 
of  the  farmer-fool.  Are  you  sure  you  see  its  very  point? 
Fix  your  thought  for  once  on  that  "not  rich  toward 
God."  With  what  does  that  contrast  ?  That  farmer's 
life  was  sordid.  It  should  have  been  refined.  But  how? 
Make  some  definitions  here.  What  in  verity  do  all  these 
words  mean?  See  if  you  can  imagine  Christ  hoarding 
anything  perishable.  While  he  lived  he  had  not  where 
to  lay  his  head.  And  when  he  died,  his  very  tomb  was  a 
loan.     He  did  live  in  the  flesh.     He  did  have  daily  need 


j^^  Teacher-Training  with 

of  food  and  raiment  and  rest.  He  recognized  all  these 
as  proper  to  man.  But  study  once  more  his  message 
to  that  rich  youth.  Weigh  out  again  your  carefullest 
that  awful  word  about  the  fatal  peril  of  wealth  and  the 
camel  in  the  needle's  eye.  Work  this  out.  What  is  the 
deliberate  attitude  of  the  Master's  life,  his  own  every- 
day life,  to  this  deep  problem  of  material  wealth? 
Surely  for  himself  he  held  his  being  pure.  He  did  not 
find  his  joy  in  pamperings  of  the  flesh.  He  was  spirit- 
ually refined.    He  was  always  rich  towards  God. 

2.  Think  into  the  same  inquiry,  as  it  opens  in  the 
religious  realm.  Get  Christ's  opinion  of  a  formalist,  the 
man  whose  religion  is  a  thing  of  time  and  place  and 
rite  and  phrase.  Think  carefully  here.  What  did  Christ 
condemn  ?  He  had  much  to  say  of  hypocrites.  Recall 
how  much  of  his  contentions  with  men  lay  within  the 
religious  field.  Just  what  was  the  chronic  trouble  here? 
Study  into  that  last  great  feast,  the  time  when  he  was 
crucified.  That  festival  was  first  and  last  religious. 
This  was  why  those  Jews  held  back  from  Pilate's  hall. 
It  was  a  pagan  court.  Its  precincts  could  defile.  They 
must  keep  their  religious  sanctity  intact.  They  were 
holy  worshipers  of  the  one  true  God.  But  Christ  was 
thrust  within.  And  he  witnessed  there  a  good  confes- 
sion. Now  define  the  difference.  And  keep  Christ's 
point  of  view.  Get  in  earnest  here.  No  finer  study  will 
ever  seek  your  thought.  Think  it  out.  Christ's  religious 
life  was  absolutely  pure.  Ponder  long  those  words  at 
Jacob's  well,  on  worshiping  the  Spirit  God  in  spirit 
and  in  truth.  Here  are  thoughts  well  worth  your  while 
to  think.  There  is  nothing  like  them  to  make  the  life 
of  teachers  deep  and  high  and  pure.  They  will  cease  to 
deal  with  idols. 

3.  Test  the  same  in  ethics.  The  Jews  were  rigid 
moralists.  They  had  long  codes  of  rules  the  most 
minute.  They  took  keen  pride  in  their  correct  behavior. 
Listen  to  Simon's  inner  self-applause  in  Luke  7.  See 
the  self-complacency  in  Mark  7.  Think  of  all  the  phari- 
sees  and  all  the  Master's  critics.  Recall  in  particular 
their  scrupulous  observance  of  their  Sabbath  day.  Call 
up  the  ruler  and  the  Lord  once  more,     Both  stood  for 


The  Master  Teacher 


'53 


moral  life.  In  many  ways  the  two  stood  outwardly 
alike.  But  in  verity  their  moral  ways  lay  far  apart. 
Now  get  clear  about  their  difference.  Was  the  youth 
immoral?  Wherein?  Was  his  morality  unreal?  Just 
how?  Then  Christ's  morality — by  what  adjective  is  its 
very  substance  best  defined?  It  was  wholly,  deeply, 
truly  pure.    It  was  not  a  code  of  form. 

4.  Thus  Christ  retained  full  sanctity.  He  kept  him- 
self pure.  His  life  was  spiritual.  He  held  his  heart 
unbound.  His  inner  life  was  kept  forever  free.  All 
carnal  things  were  kept  subordinate.  They  had  their 
service  for  a  day.  They  were  apt  to  perish,  or  be  stolen 
or  get  lost.  Such  transient  values  could  never  content 
an  unperishing  soul.  His  cravings  were  for  the  bread 
of  life,  for  beauty,  passing  Solomon's,  for  rest  in  heav- 
enly mansions,  for  treasures  that  would  never  rust,  and 
for  eternal  friendships.  His  morals  were  far  more  than 
manners.  They  were  vital  qualities,  spiritual  and  un- 
seen. And  his  worship  far  transcended  temple,  ritual, 
feast,  and  phrase.  For  him  his  God  was  Spi'rit ;  and 
his  respect  was  spiritual  and  pure.  Such  was  Christ. 
He  was  spiritual  primarily.  That  in  him  which  was  full- 
grown,  full-formed,  full-trained  and  fully  free  was  his 
living  soul. 

5.  This  meant  thoroughness.  The  Saviour  was  not 
half  and  half.  His  spiritual  health  was  full.  His  sky 
was  always  clear.  No  cloud  of  sordidness  ever  lay 
across  its  face.  At  earliest  sight  of  things  that  coarsen 
or  sully  or  defile,  that  pamper  the  lust  or  handicap  the 
will,  his  strong,  free  arms  swept  them  entirely  and  in- 
stantly clean  out  of  the  temple  of  his  life.  And  his 
purity  was  equally  entire  in  handling  other  lives.  He 
probed  to  the  very  core.  No  hiding  place  was  left  any- 
where for  any  lust.  Devotion  could  not  be  mixed. 
Purgations  must  be  complete. 

6.  This  opens  to  Christ's  profundity.  Others  might 
offer  incense  before  outer  symmetries  of  personal  life. 
He  pressed  into  its  inmost  shrine.  Publican  and  prodi- 
gal and  harlot  and  alien  gained  his  praise,  if  only,  with 
mourning  for  their  defilements,  their  inner  longings  were 
pure.     While  others  were  training  the  physical  frame  to 


1^4  Teacher-Traming  with 

facile,  graceful  ways,  his  thought  was  deftly  feeling 
towards  the  heart  and  contriving  how  to  give  holy  free- 
dom to  the  will.  Reach  for  his  very  life's  philosophy 
in  his  words  about  the  bridegroom  and  the  washings 
in  the  second  and  the  seventh  of  Mark.  He  sought  to 
get  life's  fountains  pure  and  free. 

7.  Here  lies  the  secret  of  the  Master's  unmatched 
hospitality.  His  friendships  were  unbound.  He  declined 
all  restraints  of  race  and  rank,  because  the  clew  to  all  true 
kinship  nestles  in  the  inner  life.  Gross  outer  habitudes 
and  forms  are  not  the  seat  or  sum  of  personal  worth. 
He  put  them  all  aside.  He  paid  instead  his  deference 
to  honor ;  he  had  respect  for  rectitude ;  he  felt  true  pity 
for  true-felt  penitence ;  he  found  delight  in  faithfulness ; 
he  made  glad  covenants  with  purity ;  he  rested  in  real 
friendliness;  he  honored  every  reverent  soul;  he  deeply 
loved  the  lowly — indifferent  all  the  while  to  tribe  or 
grade.     His  fellowships  were  purely  spiritual. 

8.  So  the  Master  lived  and  worked.  He  paid  due 
heed  to  the  normal  needs  and  cravings  of  the  human 
flesh,  and  to  the  proper  helpfulness  of  outer  forms.  He 
healed  and  fed  the  human  frame.  He  cleared  and  rever- 
enced the  sanctuary.  But  he  taught  that  the  temple, 
with  all  its  beautiful  stones,  should  be  made  desolate ; 
and  that  man  should  prize  his  life  more  than  limbs  or 
hands  or  eyes.  Test  this  anywhere.  Catch  his  accent  on 
the  spirit  life  with  Nicodemus,  the  Samaritan,  in  Naza- 
reth, with  Simon  the  pharisee,  in  John  6,  in  Mark  7. 
with  the  rich  fool,  with  the  rich  youth.  Study  each  and 
all  until  you  find  the  very  essence  of  the  high  refinement 
of  your  Lord.  See  how  his  heaven-born  soul  made  all 
its  way  amid  the  soilures  of  our  earthly  life  unsmJrched. 
Stand  by  him  at  the  High  Priest's  bar,  and  in  that 
Roman  hall.  On  every  side  is  base  alloy.  But  Jesus 
Christ  stands  incorrupt.     He  is  absolutely  pure. 


The  Master  Teacher 


^55 


LESSON  XXXVI. 
He   Had  Authority. 

Though  Christ  was  always  lowly,  and  never  arrogant, 
his  ministry  was  always  vested  with  a  kingly  majesty. 
The  grasp  he  laid  on  human  life  was  imperial,  and  it  has 
never  yet  relaxed.  He  was  patient  as  a  mother;  but  he 
was  regal,  too.  He  often  suffered  pain  and  stood  be- 
neath reproach ;  but  he  was  never  faint  nor  wilted  down 
in  shame.  He  often  fashioned  questions  and  sought 
replies,  he  often  referred  his  case  to  the  judgment  of 
other  men ;  but  it  never  betokened  that  his  own  mind 
hung  in  any  suspense,  or  wavered  in  any  doubt.  He  fre- 
quently made  appeals,  and  they  were  frequently  re- 
pulsed; but  the  force  and  beauty  of  those  appeals  were 
never  once  impaired,  not  the  merest  whit.  He  often 
forged  strong  arguments,  only  to  find  their  reasoning 
disdained;  but  every  chain  and  every  link  of  his  con- 
nected thought  hold  fast  to-day  with  cogent,  unspent 
force.  All  he  ever  said,  all  he  ever  did,  all  he  ever  was 
had  overwhelming  strength.  However  men  might  inter- 
lock and  struggle  to  counteract  his  work,  the  onset  of  his 
life  was  every  time  preponderant.  He  was  gentle,  to  the 
point  of  sacrifice ;  but  he  was  prevalent,  to  the  point  of 
victory.  His  deference  for  all  men  stands  exemplary  for 
all  time;  but  his  dominion  over  all  was  invariably  com- 
plete. Here  is  something  worthy  any  teacher's  reverence. 
The  Master  Teacher  is  true  Lord. 

I.  One  aspect  is  his  assurance.  He  never  seems 
tentative,  as  though  unclear.  He  never  appears  solici- 
tous, as  though  unsure.  Test  this.  Take  the  outside 
circuit  of  his  official  plan.  It  compassed  all  the  world. 
It  was  to  wear  through  mighty  centuries.  It  was  to  face 
deep-set  antagonisms.  Now,  as  he  makes  up  to  this 
stupendous  task,  closely  watch  his  mien.  It  gives  at 
times    plain    signs    of    awful    agony,    but    only    to    be 


1^6  Teacher-Training  with 

matched  by  an  awful  energy,  and  to  be  ruled  by  full  self- 
mastery.  Such  a  countenance  could  be  upborne  by 
nothing  less  than  an  eternal  confidence.  Study  this 
in  that  tragedy  by  Pilate.  Then  study  it  at  Nazareth, 
and  at  Capernaum.  He  knew.  He  knew  his  ta'sk.  He 
knew  his  strength.  He  knew  the  last  alternatives.  With 
perfect  self-control  he  took  and  held  his  ground.  Cer- 
tainty in  him  was  elemental.  His  daring  could  be 
supremely  fine;  and  it  could  be  supremely  calm. 

2.  Another  aspect  is  his  lordliness.  He  knew  him- 
self, and  felt  himself,  and  called  himself  a  King.  Follow 
in  his  wake,  and  ask  men  anywhere.  Ask  the  impotent 
man.  Ask  Zaccheus.  Ask  the  Samaritan  woman.  Ask 
the  sadducees.  Ask  Judas.  Ask  Peter.  Ask  those 
sojourners  at  Emmaus.  Ask  demoniacs.  Ask  the  resur- 
rected dead.  Then  study  his  averments  about  true 
prayer,  true  brotherliness  at  feasts,  self-righteousness, 
the  lure  of  wealth,  true  stewardship.  Test  him  every 
way.  Try  denying  the  validity  of  any  word,  or  the  pro- 
priety of  any  deed.  Fancy  reversing  his  decree  at  some 
superior  court.  Try  this  in  John  5.  Try.  it  on  his 
final  word  about  Capernaum,  remembering  it  was  keyed 
to  their  impenitence.  Test  it  on  his  tribute  to  a  little 
child.  See  if  you  can  designate  one  place  where  Christ's 
lordship  has  been  or  ever  shall  be  overtopped.  Pursue 
the  task.  Make  full  testing  of  his  majesty.  Is  he  really 
incomparable  and  supreme? 

3.  Another  aspect  is  finality.  This  may  seem  a  repe- 
tition. But  study  it  by  itself.  Take  any  scene.  See 
when  and  where  and  how  the  Master  brings  transactions 
to  an  end.  Where  do  Gospel  conversations  stop.  Take 
your  thought  right  there,  and  look  around.  Examine 
how  they  terminate.  Do  discussions  really  endf  Do 
they  reach  a  terminus?  Study  this.  Where  does -Jesus 
usually  land  a  pupil  ?  Think  about  this.  How  often 
does  he  lead  to  a  vantage  of  free  vision?  How  often 
does  the  conference  culminate  in  an  exercise  of  trust? 
Which  is  better  as  a  finality?  Teachers  have  need  of 
clearness  here.  Has  Christ  real  authority,  after  all? 
Can  he  fix  finalities?  Is  he  Lord?  Study  especially  the 
Master  in  dissension  or  debate,  and  see  how  unanswer- 


The  Master  Teacher 


'57 


able  he  is.  Test  this  in  all  those  Sabbath  scenes.  Can 
you  show  exactly  how  he  shuts  off  further  words? 

Study  him  when  he  sits  as  judge.  At  every  turn  he 
is  passing  estimates  on  men.  Collect  those  verdicts,  and 
compute  their  gravity.  They  are  all  eternal.  They  bal- 
ance endless  destinies.  But  he  never  seems  as  though 
venturing  with  a  guess,  or  trifling  with  the  truth.  He 
plainly  feels  and  knows  the  dreadful  purport  of  his 
words.  His  solemnity  is  supreme.  His  behavior  be- 
comes a  judge.  Make  proof  of  this  in  that  teaching  over 
a  little  child.  All  his  ways  in  that  bright  scene  are 
gentle.  But  in  those  brief  phrases  roll  the  undertones 
of  eternity.  See  this  in  his  parables.  Well  nigh  all  of 
them  are  vestured  with  supreme  judicial  majesty.  And 
remember.  They  are  ail  spontaneous.  In  them  the  inmost 
impulse  of  his  heart  springs  uncontrolled  and  free. 
Their  tone  betrays  the  temper  of  his  soul.  They  show 
his  very  instincts.  And  their  judicial  renderings  bear 
every  semblance  of  being  deemed  beyond  repeal.  Read 
again  that  story  of  the  spurned  feast,  or  that  about 
laborers  in  the  vineyard.  Do  you  conceive  that  those 
interpretations  of  the  kingdom's  law  are  likely  to  be 
revised?  Impressive  signs  of  the  same  judicial  lordli- 
ness come  clear  in  the  tendency  of  men  to  resort  to 
him  for  opinions  on  their  controversies.  Glean  such 
instances  together,  and  study  what  they  mean.  Each 
case  disclosed  the  movement  of  an  instinct.  Do  you 
believe  this  true?  And  do  you  see  its  bearing  on  the 
radiance  and  ascendency  of  Christ's  judicial  thought? 

4.  Make  special  study  of  that  scene  with  Pilate. 
Walk  all  about  the  Master's  lordliness,  as  presented 
there.  He  avows  that  he  is  King.  Examine  his  throne. 
Describe  and  define  his  realm.  Name  his  insignia.  Set 
forth  his  ways  and  means.  Who  own  his  sway?  And 
why  do  they  submit?  Every  answer  poises  on  one  single 
word.  Truth  upholds  his  throne,  outlines  his  realm, 
gilds  all  his  symbols,  provides  his  sinews,  fills  and  orders 
all  his  train.  Truth  is  his  girdle  and  sword.  Truth  is 
his  beauty  and  pride.  Truth  is  his  glory  and  strength. 
Truth  is  his  footing  and  crown.  Truth  binds  all  his 
followers,  and  is  the  sole  armor  of  his  soldiery.     Truth 


/5<5  Teacher-Training  with 

scatters  all  his  enemies  and  consummates  all  victories. 
He  is  King  of  Truth.  This  is  his  word  to  Pilate.  And 
it  is  no  idle  claim.  He  is  soon  to  seal  it  with  his 
blood.  Now  make  some  survey  of  its  magnitude  and 
majesty.  Try  to  gird  its  amplitude.  Try  to  scale  its 
excellence.  Try  to  feel  its  strength.  Are  you  sure  you 
have  proper  sense  of  Truth?  Do  you  see  that  it  is 
impregnable?  Do  you  see  that  its  beauty  is  perennial, 
that  its  power  can  never  waste,  that  its  body  will  never 
die?  And  do  you  see  how  absolute  is  Christ's  affiance? 
He  knows  and  loves  and  publishes  pure  Truth.  He 
never  faints  nor  doubts.  He  never  halts  nor  fears.  He 
never  gives  an  inch  up  to  retreat.  His  throne  is  for- 
ever. He  is  forever  on  a  throne.  Linger  here.  Your 
Saviour  is  supreme.     And  his  supremacy  is  secure. 

5.  But  look  again.  See  devotion  mingling  with 
dominion  in  his  life.  He  who  is  mighty  Lord  came  to 
humbly  serve.  Over  all  his  majesty  there  is  a  beautiful 
grace.  He  figures  as  a  deputy.  His  dignity  is  denied. 
He  always  speaks  for  God.  But  in  all  that  fine  humility, 
behold  the  shining  of  high  majesty.  He  verily  speaks 
for  God.     See  it  in  the  fifth  of  John. 

Thus  the  Master  reigns.     He  is  most  gracious  King. 


The  Master  Teacher 


'59 


LESSON  XXXVII. 
He  Was  Thoughtful. 

The  Master  must  have  been  much  in  meditation. 
Proof  of  this  lies  everywhere.  Survey,  c.  g.,  the  swing 
and  plunge  of  meaning  in  his  summons  to  repent.  As 
he  struck  the  outline  of  that  theme,  no  thinking  was 
ever  more  profound.  That  single  law,  if  well  obeyed, 
would  set  the  whole  world  right.  The  same  sure  mental 
penetration  shows  full  in  his  indictment  of  hypocrisy. 
But  strip  away  pretense,  and  the  utmost  range  and  in- 
most reach  of  life  runs  real;  deep  plots  would  face  the 
sun,  and  erring  estimates  would  become  correct.  That 
word  about  one  Spirit  God  was,  in  its  place,  a  master 
thought,  w^ell  poised,  well  aimed.  It  broke  through  all 
conceit  of  time  and  place  and  form  and  many  unreal 
gods  in  the  religious  realm  forevermore.  Study  into 
that  word  "love"  in  the  parable  to  Simon,  while  the 
woman  bathed  his  feet.  Careful  thinking  chose  and 
placed  that  little  word.  See  if  j^ou  can  show  whereon  it 
rests,  to  what  it  leads,  just  what  it  is,  and  what  its  sure 
reward.  Then  try  the  parable  of  the  prodigal.  Fix  on 
that  awful  self-renunciation :  "I  am  unworthy  to  be 
called  thy  son."  There  struggles  no  chance  phrase.  He 
who  can  closely  trace  the  Master's  thinking  in  that  short 
speech  has  made  discovery  of  every  filial  bond,  of  all 
parental  care,  of  all  the  claims  of  equity,  and  of  a  moral 
riddle  which  only  Calvary  can  solve. 

Then  see  him  argue  through  the  grounds  and  forms 
and  paths  of  prayer.  Those  words  are  born  of  thought. 
That  thought  is  ultimate.  And  that  the  Saviour  knew. 
Test  this  in  his  arguments.  Try  to  part  them.  See  how 
his  life  was  interlaced  with  thoughtfulness.  There  are 
arguments  in  his  very  deeds.  A  major  premise,  and  a 
minor,  and  a  grand  conclusion  were  interwoven  in  his 
walk,  when  he  bravely  turned  into  Zaccheus'  home.    Try 


l6o  Teacher-Training  with 

this  :  I  honor  all  true  men  ;  Zaccheus'  humanity  Is  true ; 
I  dine  with  him.  Watch  him  weld  the  logic  of  his  life. 
It  is  fashioning  everywhere.  He  forged  strong  thought 
when  fighting  Satan,  and  when  offering  the  highpriestly 
prayer ;  when  balancing  beatitudes,  and  when  delivering 
woes ;  when  cleansing  the  temple,  and  when  healing  the 
paralytic.  His  acts  were  arguments.  Imagine  his  true 
lips  and  life  uttering  anything  inconsequent  or  absurd. 
His  day,  through  all  its  course,  was  lucid.  And  its  every 
flash  and  ray  were  by  design.  He  was  a  Teacher  in 
very  deed. 

He  Was  Balanced. 

See  if  you  can  find  in  Jesus  any  bias,  or  onesided- 
ness,  or  fanaticism  of  any  sort.  East  and  West  were 
equally  open  to  his  eye.  He  saw  heaven  and  hell,  earth 
and  sky,  peasant  and  scribe,  cradle  and  grave.  He  was 
equally  at  ease  by  the  marriage  altar,  and  by  the  bier ; 
among  the  hills,  and  on  the  sea  ;  in  the  hall  of  Pilate, 
and  in  Emmaus.  He  stood  in  full  repose,  when  trans- 
figured, and  while  being  bound.  He  moved  with  natural 
grace,  when  making  the  triumphal  entry,  and  when 
ascending  the  cross.  He  had  a  lion's  strength,  and  the 
gentleness  of  a  lamb.  He  could  sting  or  soothe,  rebuke 
or  praise,  inspire  or  overwhelm.  See  him  face  the  luxu- 
rious ruler,  and  the  impoverished  Peter,  each  with  in- 
stant, adequate  address.  Above  all  get  the  even  balance 
of  his  truth  and  love,  of  self-devotion  and  self-respect, 
of  majesty  and  humility,  of  eagerness  and  peace.  Every- 
where and  evermore  his  equilibrium  is  exact.  Nothing 
spoilt  his  poise. 

See  if  you  can  see  into  this.  Explore  into  his  rest 
in  God.  His  life  was  central.  He  never  roved.  He 
fastened  upon  the  essential  point.  All  his  thoughts  and 
words  were  focal,  pivotal.  His  estimates  were  keyed  to 
spirit,  lowliness,  truth,  grace.  And  he  had  breadth.  In 
handling  men  he  seized  on  traits,  where  all  have  fellow- 
ship. He  wrought  in  the  reaches  of  hunger,  pain  and 
sin  ;  of  conscience ;  aspiration  and  fear ;  of  impenitence, 
unfriendliness   and   greed.      He   plowed   main   currents 


The  Master  Teacher 


lOl 


every  day.  And  he  kept  firm  hold  of  either  oar.  Study 
this  in  Luke  12  and  Mark  10.  Get  the  evenness  of  his 
swing,  as  he  deals  with  need  and  trust,  with  loss  and 
gain.  Mark  the  rhythm  of  his  thought,  as  he  handles 
honor  and  humility  in  the  presence  of  a  child.  So 
ahvays.  The  dispositions  of  his  strength  were  set  in 
marvellous  equivalence.    He  had  fine  sense  of  symmetry. 

He  Was  Simple. 

His  life  and  aim  were  one.  He  was  universal  Friend. 
He  came  to  unify.  He  often  told  his  errand  in  a  single 
phrase :  He  came  to  save.  He  held  unvaryingly  to  one 
goal ;  he  was  always  making  towards  the  cross.  Befit- 
tingly,  he  always  probed  towards  conscience.  From  what- 
ever point,  by  whatever  path,  he  was  always  pushing 
towards  the  heart  to  dislodge  sin  and  build  up  holiness. 
He  knew  but  one  alternative ;  and  that  was  doom.  But 
even  that  lay  coiled  inextricably  in  holiness,  and  con- 
science, and  the  cross.  See  this  as  consistency,  and  as 
persistence.  He  never  swerves,  or  doubles,  or  becomes 
ambiguous.  His  speech  is  one.  His  life  is  one.  He  had 
one  prime  desire.  He  handled  all  mankind  alike.  Nico- 
demus,  the  young  ruler  and  the  haughtiest  pharisees, 
were  treated  just  as  he  treated  outcasts  and  harlots  and 
publicans.  For  Jews  and  Gentiles  and  for  all  the  world 
he  had  one  cross,  one  repentance,  one  forgiveness,  one 
fellowship  in  joy. 

He  Was  Replete. 

He  walked  in  fruitful  gardens.  All  the  clusters  of 
his  thought  were  plentiful.  Take  that  conversation  with 
Nicodemus.  How  it  superabounds  !  Measure  the  out- 
burst of  his  thought  in  John  5.  It  drew  from  ample 
reservoirs.  And  those  reservoirs  were  fed  from  the  infi- 
nite sea.  The  love  of  the  Father  for  the  Son — what  an 
upspringing  stream !  See  his  familiar  access  to  the 
treasure-house  of  nature.  All  his  instances  and  illus- 
trations from  teeming  earth  are  only  samples  of  his 
wealth.    Then  see  how  all  the  value  of  his  own  full  life 


/6-2  Teacher 'Training  with 

lay  always  ready  to  his  touch.  And  how  often  he  swept 
all  its  compass  in  swift  review !  His  progress  was  no 
meager  rill.  His  ongoings  were  the  movement  of  a 
mighty,  far-spreading  tide.  And  it  all  was  fluid  to  his 
will.  His  being  was  of  heroic  mould.  His  ample  soul 
gave  ample  room  for  the  Holy  Spirit's  full  anointing. 
He  was  freighted  with  the  all-embracing  love  of  God. 
He  stood  ready  daily  to  bear  witness  to  all  Truth.  His 
orb  shone  always  full.  This  is  one  of  the  grandest 
wonders  of  his  ways.  Test  this  anywhere.  Test  it 
everywhere.  Quick  as  you  face  his  eye,  you  are  facing 
fullness  of  all  light.  Wherever  he  walks,  that  path  be- 
comes a  highway.  Wherever  he  stands,  that  spot  be- 
comes a  focus.  And  this  not  because  he  says  or  does  or 
seems  so  much.  It  is  simply  that  he  is  central.  Hence 
he  is  replete.  Approach  him  on  any  side,  and  he  is  all 
there.  And  when  he  draws  near  to  us,  he  is  always  ad- 
vancing from  the  throne  and  standing  in  its  whole  efful- 
gence. All  his  ways  and  paths  are  radii.  Test  this  as 
he  journeys  towards  Emmaus.  When  that  talk  began, 
those  pilgrims  had  no  heart,  no  joy,  no  hope.  But  when 
that  conference  closed,  their  heart  and  joy  were  full. 
There  was  no  lack. 


The  Master  Teacher  i6j 


LESSON  XXXVIII. 
He  Was  Intense. 

There  was  in  all  the  Master's  work  a  fervid  glow. 
He  was  in  earnest.  He  never  lapsed  into  apathy.  His 
toil  wore  out  his  day.  Feel  again  the  vigor  of  his 
pulse  by  Pilate.  Remember  again  the  constant  tension 
of  his  life's  toil.  There  had  been  a  ceaseless,  super- 
human strain.  But  mark  the  ardor  of  his  unspent 
passion  in  that  last  and  most  unlikely  hour.  His  zeal 
is  fervid  still.  His  will  is  unrelaxed.  His  interest  in 
his  mission  beseems  his  prime.  His  blood  is  up.  He 
seems  to  know  he  braves  all  Rome.  And  with  footing 
like  the  temple  rock,  and  triumph  in  his  tone,  he  fronts 
the  Roman  arrogance,  and  lifts  aloft  again  the  whole 
grand  programme  of  his  life,  while  knowing  well  that 
before  that  morning's  sun  should  stand  at  noon  his 
body  would  hang  dying  on  a  cross.  And  this  was  a 
sample  scene.  In  all  he  ever  said  there  was  all  the 
earnestness  of  his  very  life.  It  was  just  the  same  in 
Nazareth.  Right  there  he  set  the  opening  battle  of  his 
life  with  open  eye  right  where  he  knew  the  certain  cost 
must  be  his  life.  And  so  it  was  all  through.  Every  day 
he  gave  his  life.  Do  you  see  this  deeper  meaning  in  that 
step  that  led  to  Zaccheus'  home?  That  was  a  quiet 
act.  But  it  had  within  it  all  the  earnestness  of  the 
cross.  The  same  intensity  struggles  in  those  parables 
of  Luke  15.  Get  all  your  senses  operant,  and  touch  that 
chapter  anywhere.  Its  stress  is  infinite.  Test  this 
often  in  that  paragraph  that  grew  together  on  occasion 
of  those  visiting  Greeks.  There  is  fine  action  here.  The 
movement  of  that  speech  is  like  the  thrust  and  pull  of  a 
giant  piston-rod.  The  Master's  thought  is  like  the 
pressure  of  pent  steam.  You  will  labor  many  faithful 
days  before  you  gauge  the  energies  of  that  scene.  The 
Lord  was  tense.     Within  all  his  seeming  quietness  there 


m64  Teacher'Trainlng  with 

swung  the  strong  vibrations  of  a  powerful  heart  God's 
throne  was  based  in  righteousness.  In  all  the  world 
raged  wickedness.  He  was  God's  vicegerent.  Within 
his  being  throbbed  all  the  strength  of  the  balanced  inter- 
play of  the  moral  universe.  There  was  ceaseless,  awful 
strife.  He  stood  in  the  very  brunt.  He  would  never 
surrender.  He  would  never  disguise.  He  would  never 
make  a  trade.  He  was  in  earnest.  Every  moment 
he  stood  ready  to  ofifer  up  his  life.  He  kept  the  faith. 
He  loved  the  Truth.  The  cross  was  the  efflorescence,  as 
well  as  the  climax  of  his  life.  He  saw  the  awful  end. 
But  he  despised  the  shame.  He  welcomed  all  the  cost. 
He  never  lost  his  zest. 


He  Was  Ready. 

This  stands  open  beautifully  there  in  Nazareth.  But 
it  is  striking  everywhere.  Mark  his  instant  skill  with 
parables.  How  often  they  were  invented  on  the  spot ! 
Their  beauty  burst  forth  in  a  flash.  Test  this  at  Simon's 
feast,  by  Peter's  query  about  forgiveness,  in  the  story 
of  the  marriage  feast,  in  the  picture  of  the  farmer- fool, 
in  the  chapter  of  the  prodigal.  This  is  always  clear  in 
scenes  of  conference.  Study  that  argument  in  John  5. 
No  profounder,  grander,  plainer  course  of  thought  was 
ever  set  in  human  speech.  But  all  its  plot  and  train  were 
laid  and  opened  while  he  spoke.  Study  here  his  com- 
ments at  his  feasts.  Test  this  over  that  homily  on  a 
little  child.  See  the  Master  select  (mark  this)  and 
expound  that  deep-laid  theme.  It  was  swift  and  sure 
as  a  flash  of  light.  Test  this  anywhere.  See  if  you  find 
signs  anywhere  that  he  was  caught  unprepared.  Watch 
his  finger,  as  it  finds  that  word  to  Moses  at  the  bush,  to 
show  the  sadducees.  How  quick  and  true  its  indica- 
tion. But  he  had  no  warning.  And  yet  how  sure  and 
wise  and  .durable  his  wit  just  there!  Test  this  in  the 
portrait  of  the  prodigal.  That  picture  will  bear  a  micro- 
scope. It  is  done  with  infinite  carefulness.  And  yet  it 
is  nothing  but  a  wayside  sketch.  His  mind  was  always 
at  home,  awake,  in  trim. 


The  Master  Teacher  i6^ 

He  Was  Brief. 

Read  again  his  chief  discourses.  The  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  can  never  be  called  long-drawn.  But  its  brief 
stretch  is  broken  many  times.  And  "each  scant  fragment 
is  little  but  a  lively  covey  of  varied,  shining  apothegms. 
Take  the  parables.  For  literary  terseness  in  the  most 
literal  sense  they  stand  unapproached.  As  mental  epi- 
tomes they  match  his  miracles.  They  are  truly  marvel- 
lous. In  the  blending  of  conciseness  and  easy  grace  their 
art  stands  finished.  In  every  one  of  them  refinement 
has  touched  the  last  degree.  Study  his  instructions  on 
the  theme  of  prayer.  Name  the  notable  qualities  of  those 
words ;  then  note  their  brevity.  Those  utterances 
answer  for  a  full  philosophy  of  prayer.  And  the  pulsing 
of  their  phrases  is  perfectly  free  and  smooth.  They 
He  there  in  that  model  and  discourse  as  warm  and  fair 
and  unrestrained  as  the  life  in  an  infant's  arm.  But 
they  can  all  be  easily  rehearsed,  while  two  swift  minutes 
nre  running  out  their  round.  Study  his  own  highpriestly 
prayer.  That  supplication  ranges  everywhere.  Traverse 
all  its  sweep.  Then  calculate  its  time  of  utterance,  and 
its  space  in  literature. 

Test  this  through  Tuesday  of  the  passion  week.  No 
task  was  left  unfinished.  But  he  made  short  work  of 
everything.  Hear*  him  in  the  final  judgment  halls.  His 
words  there  are  like  rifle  shots.  Look  into  this.  The 
chiseled  precision,  the  instant  readiness,  the  unwavering 
directness  of  the  Master's  speech  make  its  compactness 
a  prime  phenomenon.  Study  it.  No  finer  mental  exer- 
cise for  teachers  can  be  found.  Learn  from  Jesus  how 
to  keep  the  easy  play  of  flowing  life  and  yet  remain 
concise. 

He  Was  Intrepid. 

Christ  feared  nothing.  And  he  braved  everything. 
Did  you  ever  try  to  penetrate  all  the  vista  that  opened 
before  his  light-filled  eye  when  he  faced  his  baptism? 
In  the  very  midst  of  that  sacrament  he  stopped  to 
fashion  and  offer  up  a  prayer.  Suppose  you  try  to  think 
what  that  entreaty  meant.    He  must  have  felt  right  then 


t66  Teacher^Training  icith 

and  there  all  the  weight  and  strain  of  his  intei.se  career. 
But  you  can  detect  no  tremor  or  shudder  of  cowardly 
dismay.  Think  into  this.  Imagine  Jesus  shrinking  back 
from  that  tremendous  instant  when  the  Holy  Spirit 
sealed  and  made  irrevocable  all  the  infinite  joys  and 
awful  sorrows  of  the  Messianic  work.  He  must  have 
foreseen  all.  But  see  how  steady  and  clear  his  purpose 
stands  in  that  sacramental  exercise  of  prayer.  Never 
did  unsullied  bravery  stand  in  more  exigent  demand  or 
clearer  display. 

The  same  strong  fearlessness  stands  plain  in  Naza- 
reth, in  the  sermon  on  the  mount,  in  the  sending  of  the 
Twelve,  in  all  his  outright  thrusts  at  petted  sin.  He  was 
constantly  imperilling  his  peace  and  good  standing  with 
the  high  fashion  of  his  time.  But  he  felt  no  awe  for  sin 
or  sinners,  however  high. 

And  he  did  not  lie  in  idle  barracks.  He  was  always 
out  in  the  open  field,  and  on  hostile  soil.  He  dared  to 
burn  all  bridges,  and  make  the  conflict  ultimate.  Study 
here  his  triumphal  entry.  Viewed  one  way,  that  pageant 
wore  an  ineffable  grace.  But  examined  again,  its  intre- 
pidity was  absolute.  Review  again  his  struggle  with 
Satan  in  the  temptation  scenes,  his  message  to  Herod, 
his  dialogues  with  pharisees,  his  final  parley  with  Pilate. 
Every  scene  shows  not  mere  defense,  but  a  stout-hearted 
dash  and  onset  of  bravery  that  made  contestants  quail. 
He  knew  that  darkness  could  not  face  the  light,  that 
intrigue  could  not  undo  integrity,  that  truth  could  put 
error  to  open  shame,  that  right  could  conquer  wrong, 
that  death  must  yield  to  life,  that  Satan  would  bow  to 
God.  And  as  Champion  of  truth,  and  Prince  of  life 
and  Son  of  God,  with  eager,  deathless,  dauntless  heart 
he  chose  the  center  of  every  battlefield.  He  was  in  all 
the  world  its  truest  Hero. 


The  Master  Teacher  i6y 


LESSON  XXXIX. 
He  Was  Concrete. 

Christ  was  always  in  the  thick  of  life.  He  dealt  with 
beating  hearts,  active  wills,  current  deeds,  vital  states. 
He  kept  to  things  in  easy  reach.  To  show  God's  care 
he  points  to  flowers.  To  show  God's  grace  he  heals 
the  blind.  To  teach  humility  he  points  to  a  blushing 
child.  To  show  a  miser's  folly  he  talks  of  barns  and 
feasts  and  laziness.  To  show  fraternity  he  eats  with 
publicans.  To  demonstrate  immortality  he  rrentions 
Abraham.  To  recommend  submissiveness  he  points  to 
himself.  To  intimate  the  fitness  and  potency  of  prayer 
he  points  to  a  hungry  boy.  To  show  how  honor  may 
shine  in  lowly  deeds  he  washes  his  followers'  feet. 
He  always  keeps  in  touch  with  things  in  easy 
sight.  And  yet  he  is  never  shallow.  Here  is  prime 
counsel  for  all  who  teach.  Christ  could  be  both  vivid 
and  profound — a  twinship  none  too  common  in  the 
teaching  realm.  Look  into  this.  It  is  your  life.  His 
dealings  with  our  daily  things  were  never  trivial.  They 
always  show  profound  discernment.  He  understood. 
He  sensed  their  meaning.  He  opened  up  their  deeps. 
He  was  always  connecting  them  with  God.  He  brought 
to  light  their  interest.  He  showed  how  items  in  our  life 
cohere.  He  was  a  supreme  interpreter.  He  could  make 
familiar  things  that  men  thought  strange.  He  could 
show  that  distant  things  stand  near;  that  transcendent 
things  lie  within  our  range ;  that  common  things  are 
precious;  that  humble  things  can  be  sublime;  that 
each  day's  hues  are  heavenly ;  that  every  man  is  God- 
like. This  is  wonderful.  Christ's  speech  was  always 
simple.  But  it  was  unfailingly  incomparably  profound. 
His  ways  were  often  homely.  But  he  never  failed  to  be 
sublime.  His  walk  was  in  the  very  midst  0^  plain  men's 
daily  life.    But  he  had  eyes  to  see. 


i68  Teacher-Training  with 

He  Was  Manifold. 

Every  finished  landscape  is  finely  variegated.  So  with 
the  teaching  art  of  Christ.  He  was  continually  resort- 
ing to  a  new  device.  See  his  parables.  Now  they  paint 
a  king,  now  a  sheep,  now  a  vine,  now  a  debtor,  now  a 
marriage  feast,  now  an  ox,  now  a  band  of  angels,  now  a 
humble  herdsman,  now  a  house  rock-fast,  now  a  trav- 
eler in  distress.  Again  he  paints  a  woman  with  her 
broom,  a  fisher  with  his  net,  a  bridegroom  with  his  wife, 
a  trader  with  his  team,  a  farmer  with  his  land,  a  brother 
cherishing  hate.  Hear  his  appeals.  How  they  vary ! 
Now  he  stirs  the  tendency  to  fear,  now  to  greed,  now  to 
father  love,  now  to  love  of  praise,  now  to  fair  requital. 

lie  touches  the  life  of  man  everywhere.  He  feels 
the  lure  of  trade,  the  charm  of  art,  the  joy  of  fellow- 
ship, the  thirst  for  gain,  the  fire  of  zeal,  the  bitings  of 
remorse,  the  ambition  to  control. 

His  speech  looks  every  way.  Wherever  humanity  toils 
or  frets,  weds  or  sobs,  fails  or  gains,  his  eye  looks  heed- 
fully  on,  and  his  thought  shapes  befitting  words.  As 
variegated  as  is  the  face  of  human  life,  so  variegated  is 
the  face  of  the  Saviour's  teaching  art.  See  how  impres- 
sively this  comes  clear  in  his  portrayals  of  human  sin. 
Spotless  as  the  sky  himielf,  the  reflection  upon  the  sur- 
face of  his  speech,  of  every  sin-flecked  phase  of  human 
life,  gives  its  truest,  fullest  picture  that  we  have.  But  in 
it  all  was  unity.  His  life  was  like  the  sea.  It  lay  un- 
changed, while  conforming  to  the  pressure  of  every  pass- 
ing breeze. 

He  Was  Poetic. 

The-Lord's  inventiveness  was  phenomenal.  No  fac- 
ulty of  his  spirit  was  more  nimble  than  his  fancy.  All 
the  world  of  thought,  and  all  the  world  of  fact  seemed 
plastic,  almost  fluid  to  his  touch.  His  speech  is  a  pano- 
rama of  living  illustrations.  His  addresses  were  dramas 
in  miniature.  Study  that  parable  of  the  prodigal.  Its 
reality  is  absolute.  But  it  is  pure  invention.  Look  into 
that  transaction  of  the  host  disturbing  his  neighbor's 
rest  for  a  gift  of  bread  for  his  supperless  guest.     No 


The  Master  Teacher  i6^ 

actual  incident  could  be  more  vivid.  Yet  it  is  nothing 
but  a  quick  device  of  free,  creative  thought.  To  his  deep, 
liquid  eye  all  nature  was  astir  with  life,  and  instinct 
with  suggestiveness — fit  raiment  for  many  beautiful 
thoughts.  See  him  find  fair  livery  for  his  messages  in  a 
spreading  vine,  a  blooming  plant,  a  dying  seed,  a  barren 
tree,  a  worthless  weed.  He  found  wings  and  feet  for 
his  lessons  in  the  nestling  bird,  the  burrowing  fox,  the 
watchful  hen,  the  ravenous  wolf,  the  filthy  swine,  the 
helpless  ox,  the  loathsome  dog,  the  witless  sheep.  His 
wit  found  ready  helpers  in  water,  bread  and  salt,  in  light 
and  wind  and  rain,  in  house  and  door  and  tomb.  To  his 
imagination  the  leaven  in  the  meal,  the  ferment  in  the 
wine,  the  shrinkage  in  the  cloth  were  teeming  with  in- 
structiveness.  See  engaging  pictures  fill  his  mind,  as  he 
passes  stewards,  physicians,  merchantmen ;  a  father,  a 
neighbor,  a  judge;  a  shepherd,  a  fisherman,  a  king;  a 
debtor,  a  widow,  a  guest ;  a  father,  a  son,  a  friend ;  a 
miserly  fool,  an  unneighborly  priest,  an  unmerciful  fel- 
low-servant. But  his  ornaments  were  never  gauds. 
Though  they  made  his  teaching  beautiful,  they  were 
never  mere  embellishments.  His  fancy  never  left  reality. 
His  very  figures  body  forth  the  truth.  To  his  deep- 
seeing  eye  the  whole  round  world  was  solid,  solemn 
parable.  His  fancy  was  true  vision.  His  vesture  was 
pure  light. 

His  Ways  Were  Beautiful. 

Here  is  a  charming  study.  Imagine  Christ  receiv- 
ing decorations.  He  never  did.  He  never  could  bedeck 
his  form.  He  never  set  an  ornament.  His  beauty  was 
all  inborn.  Study  this  in  John  4.  That  woman  doubt- 
less carried  meretricious  charms.  Recall  the  Biblical 
description  of  an  adulteress'  attire.  Now  study  Christ, 
as  he  arrests  her  eye.  He  stood  in  pure  and  native 
grace.  Try  to  fancy  this.  Read  again  his  gracious  hint 
about  a  heavenly  gift;  his  deft  reminder  about  her  per- 
sonal sin  ;  his  wholesome  hope  for  unity  between  Samari- 
tans and  Jews,  under  one  true  Spirit  God ;  his  open  man- 
liness ;  his  posture  of  quiet,  suffering  respect  before  her 
halting  courtesy.     Here  is  beauty  such  as  would  make 


I  JO  Teacher-Training  icj'th 

this  seamed  earth  heavenly  fair.  Have  you  eyes  to  see  ? 
Note  its  pattern  there  in  Peter's  boat.  As  his  presence 
graced  and  trimmed  that  little  craft,  his  behavior  to- 
wards those  throngs,  and  towards  Peter's  sturdy  arms 
traced  out  a  Spirit's  profile,  which  it  would  be  the  crown 
of  highest  art  ever  to  reproduce.  Follow  this  every- 
where. Christ  was  ideally  urbane.  He  was  thoroughly 
refined.  His  manners  became  the  heavenly  court.  See 
him  lay  his  palm  upon  the  head  of  a  little  child,  and  lift 
his  prayer,  and  say  "Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
Tarry  here,  until  you  see  in  what  beauty  gentleness  and 
dignity  may  blend.  Jesus  was  wholly  fair.  His  life 
was  passed  without  a  fleck.  The  open  face  of  his  be- 
havior stands  forth  unsullied,  radiant,  benign.  He  is 
the  world's  full  norm  of  inwTought  grace. 


The  Master  Teacher  lyi 


LESSON  XL. 
The  Whole  in  Brief. 

Now  it  is  time  to  clear  and  brace  your  mind  to  gather 
all  these  lessons  into  one.  Here  is  an  undertaking  fit 
to  tax  any  mortal  at  his  best.  You  will  need  your  finest 
insight  and  your  best  device.  Attempt  it  every  way. 
Try  this.  Did  you  ever  come  to  love  an  oriental  rug? 
Think  how  it  came  to  pass.  Some  person  told  you  it 
was  beautiful.  You  entered  the  bazaar.  All  was  strange 
at  first.  Each  sample  seemed  a  medley  of  unmeaning 
forms  and  hues.  At  length  your  eye  became  engaged. 
Lovely  colors  lay  in  view.  Outlines  took  on  order. 
And  at  last  it  stood  forth  clear  that  careful  thought  in- 
wrought the  whole ;  that  every  thread  was  closely  set  to 
fit  a  high  design ;  that  all  those  hues  were  sterling  as 
the  very  sun;  that  all  those  figures  joined  to  form  a 
pathway  to  the  sky;  and  that  the  whole  fair  outline  was 
a  reverent  symbol  of  religious  faith,  an  instrument  of 
prayer. 

Something  such  is  the  Gospel  pattern  of  the  teach- 
ing art  of  Christ.  At  first  it  may  seem  destitute  of  or- 
dered unity.  But  the  various  scenes  will  bear  a  nice 
inspection.  It  soon  comes  clear  that  beauty  and  order 
are  everywhere.  Fair  outlines  gleam  from  every  part. 
Every  figure  is  athrob  with  life,  and  vividly  aglow.  The 
whole  is  fashioned  by  a  fine  design.  There  is  a  Go?pel 
teaching  art;  and  Jesus  holds  it  in  full  mastery.  And 
when  his  work  is  done,  there  spreads  a  pattern  of  re- 
ligious fellowship  in  which  in  very  deed  the  earth  and 
sky  are  beautifully  made  one. 

This  unique  achievement  deserves  minute  examina- 
tion. Such  investigation  shows  these  prime  realities. 
Four  qualities  are  inwrought  in  the  Master's  teaching 
art,  like  four  prime  colors  in  a  rug.  He  weaves  in 
Truth,  Love,   Purity,  and  Lordliness.     These  four  are 


1^2  Teacher'Training  toith 

primal  elements,  simple,  original,  unmixed.  And  these 
four  are  all.  By  skillful,  varying  use  of  these,  all  hues 
and  outlines  of  his  work  are  mixed  and  shaped.  All 
other  tones  and  qualities  of  his  life  are  varied  minglings 
from  these  four.  Majesty,  verity,  purity,  charity,  in 
simple  or  in  some  blending  guise,  fill  out  his  life.  They 
hold  the  solid  substance  of  all  he  does. 

But  they  merge  and  interplay  in  manifold  variety. 
Hence  all  the  changing  phases  of  the  Saviour's  skill. 
The  heavenly  pattern  is  transfigured  every  day.  But 
the  facile  Saviour  stands  the  same,  the  soul  of  honor, 
the  source  of  mercy,  all  spiritual,  true  Lord.  Keep 
your  eye  on  each.  And  never  fail  to  notice  how  their 
beauties  blend.  Try  these  following  four  tests.  They 
are  merely  sample  final  studies.  They  show  all  the 
Master's  excellence  in  one  glance. 

His  Vigor. 

Christ's  bow  abode  in  strength.  He  always  stands 
erect.  He  faces  every  day's  endeavor  steadily.  And 
when  the  day  is  done,  his  forces  are  still  composed, 
unstrained,  and  free.  And  unlimited  reserves  seem 
always  at  command.  Then  watch  the  outflow  of  his 
beneficence.  By  every  sign  it  was  exhaustless.  Follow 
his  endurance.  His  patience  and  persistence  never 
sagged  an  inch.  Where  were  his  zeal,  or  long-suffering, 
or  respect  for  righteousness,  or  trust  in  God,  or  abhor- 
rence of  all  sin  ever  more  robust  than  through  that 
closing  week?  Trace  this  through  all  his  life.  His 
force  was  irreducible. 

But  now  see  what  in  very  fact  that  energy  was.  It 
was  nothing  but  the  interleashing  of  those  four  ele- 
mental traits.  His  soul  had  majesty;  his  life  was  purely 
spiritual ;  he  stood  champion  for  truth ;  he  was  the 
living  medium  of  God's  love.  These  were  all  his  sinews. 
They  were  the  girdle  of  his  loins. 

His  Grandeur. 

Quiet  and  lowly  as  the  Saviour  was,  he  was  never 
other    than    sublime.      His    affinity    was    with    the    sky. 


The  Master  Teacher 


'73 


He  Spoke  for  God.  Yet  in  this  same  trait  he  had  strange 
affinity  with  men.  lie  fully  harmonized  in  earthly 
scenes.  But  even  so  he  always  stood  in  stateliness.  See 
how  he  towered  there  in  Peter's  boat,  by  that  impotent 
man,  in  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth,  when  his  arms  em- 
braced a  child.  Even  when  his  ways  were  friendliest,  he 
bore  plain  marks  of  awful  majesty.  Study  this  strange 
fusion  of  winsomeness  and  far-surpassing  excellence,  as 
he  instructs  his  followers  how  to  pray.  See  it,  as  he 
engages  in  his  own  great  supplication.  There  his  visions 
and  entreaties  become  august,  fit  prelude  to  the  awful 
grandeur  of  the  cross.  So  always.  The  Lord  had 
transcendent  store  of  weight  and  excellence.  His 
nobility  was  infinite. 

What  constitutes  him  so  grand?  It  was  the  pure- 
toned  utterance  of  a  worthy  spirit  life,  inwrought  of 
heavenly  love  and  equity  in  the  fashion  of  their  own 
inherent  dignity.  It  was  the  King  of  truth  and  love 
coming  in  his  spiritual  realm.     This  was  all  his  majesty. 

His  Symmetry. 

Nothing  in  Christ  was  overgrown.  The  features  of 
his  work  were  regular.  See  if  you  can  find  where  his 
blows  were  laid  too  hard,  or  where  they  fell  too  faint. 
See  if  anywhere  you  can  find  his  manner  was  extreme. 
Note  his  accents.  Study  his  choice  and  use  and  nice 
adjustment  of  ways  and  means.  Was  his  zeal  too  hot. 
or  his  spirit  too  unconcerned?  Watch  him  set  and 
trim  the  balance  of  his  life.  Did  he  ever  leave  it  in- 
exact? Just  where?  Balance  the  beatitudes.  Find  the 
point  of  equilibrium  in  the  pattern  prayer.  Watch  him 
poise  his  thoughts  on  trust.  Then  get  the  swing  of  the 
Lord's  own  character.  Follow  its  outline.  Are  his 
shoulders  even?  Does  either  footstep  halt?  Nay, 
verily. 

Now  wherein  consists  his  symmetry?  Again,  it  is 
in  the  easy  interplay  of  lordliness  and  love  and  truth  and 
purity.  His  sympathy  and  majesty  agree.  Faithfulness 
and  tenderness  harmonize.  And  all  are  fully  spiritual. 
They  all  subsist  in  unison. 


174  Teacher  ^Training  icith 

His  Kinship. 

Jesus  was  friend  and  fellow  of  every  man.  He  cher- 
ished human  brotherhood.  He  walked  in  step  with  any 
traveler;  and  joined  in  full  companionship  in  daily 
feasts.  He  was  filial  son  of  Mary,  and  trusty  comrade  of 
Zaccheus.  He  was  a  child  of  Adam,  and  of  the  seed  of 
Abraham,  and  he  deeply  loved  his  kind.  And  he  lived 
a  normal  human  life.  He  showed  us  all  how  to  be 
true  men.  He  traversed  all  our  varied  path.  He 
showed  subjects  how  to  serve,  and  rulers  how  to  rule. 
He  showed  neighbors  how  to  be  true  friends,  the 
suffering  how  to  meekly  bear,  dependents  how  to  trust, 
the  needy  now  to  pray,  and  all  men  how  to  die.  He 
was  the  great  exemplar.  He  bore  our  flesh,  he  shared 
our  lot,  he  won  our  crown.  His  human  fellowship  was 
complete. 

But  in  what  did  this  full  partnership  consist?  Surely 
not  in  eating  food  and  needing  rest.  Rather  in  the 
realms  ol  deathless  destinies.  He  revealed  to  man  his 
higher  worth  in  ways  of  gentle,  faithful  comradeship, 
beyond  all  reach  of  change  and  death,  where  dignities 
are  won  by  ministry,  and  where  reverence  and  lowliness 
never  fail. 


Thus  the  Master  Teacher  becomes  unveiled  be- 
fore us  in  his  work.  He  is  the  very  soul  of  moral 
earnestness.  He  seals  his  teaching  with  his  life. 
His  whole  heart  is  in  all  his  work.  His  own  behavior 
shows  us  hov/  devotion  and  sincerity  may  be  supreme 
and  pure.  And  his  teaching  ministry  makes  us  see 
and  feel  and  know  thai  truth  and  love  and  immor- 
tality, which  stand  supreme  in  him,  may  be  freely 
shared  by  us.  So  perfect  are  his  ideal  and  example 
and  art.  In  all  the  teaching  realm  he  is  the  Teaching 
Model  for  all  time.  Heaven  help  us,  having  caught 
some  visions  of  his  teaching  skill,  to  walk  in  fellow- 
ship with  his  teaching  ways. 


The  Master  Teacher  ij^ 


Sample  Questions  for  Examination, 

I.  BY  LESSONS. 
Lesson  i. 

What  sort  of  a  pupil  was  Nicodemus? 

What  was  his  chief  excellence? 

What  was  his  chief  defect? 

What  was  Jesus'  central  theme? 

Why  did  he  choose  this  theme? 

Name  all  the  separate  topics  Jesus  named. 

What  was  Jesus  trying  to  do  with  Nicodemus? 

Do  you  think  he  gained  his  wish? 

What  was  Jesus'  estimate  of  this  man? 

Name  three  good  teaching  traits  shown  here. 

Lesson  2. 

Briefly  trace  through  the  conversation. 
Define  in  general  the  nature  of  the  pupil. 
Name  the  features  most  discouraging  to  a  teacher. 
Name  the  features  most  helpful  to  a  teacher. 
Define  Christ's  aim,  as  he  took  each  step  in  turn. 
What  was  his  one.  main  design  in  it  all? 
Show  the  teaching  value  of  Christ's  deftness. 
Show  the  teaching  value  of  Christ's  personal  worth. 

Lesson  3. 

How  far  was  Christ  equipped  for  teaching  before  he 

began  ? 
Define  briefly  his  life's  aim. 
Why  did  he  allude  to  that  widow  and  leper? 
Why  did  that  allusion  make  such  trouble? 
Estimate  Christ's  teaching  zeal  here. 
Estimate  Christ's  teaching  wisdom  here. 
Estimate  Christ's  teaching  grace  here. 
Were  all  these  traits  well-balanced  here? 


1^6  Teacher' Training  with 

Lesson  4. 

Name  the  traits  in  Christ  which  Peter  would  see 

and  feel. 
Of  these,  which  ones  would  Christ  design  to  show  ? 
Name  the  signs  of  Christ's  power  over  Peter. 
In  what  forces  here  did  Jesus  chiefly  put  his  trust? 
What  influence  had  Christ's  fellowship  in  winning 

Peter? 
What  function  had  Jesus'  majesty  in  this  scene? 
What  was  Jesus  after  chiefly,  affection  or  respect? 

Lesson  5. 

What  charge  did  Jesus  have  to  meet? 

What  was  the  attitude  of  these  men? 

Show  signs  that  Jesus  was  driven  to  self-defense. 

Show  signs  that  Jesus  was  making  assault. 

Are  there  any  signs  that  Jesus  was  trying  to  win  ? 

Give  a  terse  outline  of  his  argument. 

Estimate  the  strength  of  his  reply. 

What  use  did  he  make  of  the  Father's  love? 

What  use  did  he  make  of  his  own  character? 

Just  what  was  Jesus  trying  to  defend? 

Just  how,  in  brief,  did  he  do  it? 

Name  here  two  pre-eminent  teaching  traits. 

Lesson  14. 

Define  the  disciples'  point  of  view. 
Define  their  desire. 
Define  their  fault,  as  Christ  would. 
Name  the  signs  of  humility. 
Name  the  signs  of  its  absence. 
Can  greatness  and  humility  thrive  together? 
Show  how  a  little  child  can  lead  such  men  right. 
Is  this  lesson  easy  or  hard?    Why? 
Do  Christ's  words  here  start  or  stop  thought? 
Name  signs  here  of  Christ's  mastery  of  teaching  art. 
Show  how   teaching  may  be   simple  and   also  pro- 
found. 

Lesson  15. 

Describe  Peter's  state  of  mind. 

Did  he  understand  his  own  question? 


The  Master  Teacher  lyj 

Did  Christ  answer  Peter's  exact  question? 
'  Name  the  central  tenet  of  Christ's  teaching  here. 
Name  signs  here  of  Christ's  mental  agility. 
Name  signs  here  of  Christ's  mental  intensity. 
Name  signs  here  of  Christ's  mental  depth. 
Define  the  center  of  Christ's  desire  for  Peter. 
Define  the  change  in   Peter  Christ's  words  are  apt 

to  induce. 
Which   seems  more  notable  here:    Christ's  ease  or 

strength  in  teaching? 

Lesson  28. 

How  far  were  these  sadducees  in  the  dark? 

How  far  were  they  in  doubt  ? 

How  far  were  they  sincere? 

Show  signs  that  Christ  fully  understood  them. 

Show  the  chief  resources  of  Christ's  reply. 

Can    you    gather    Christ's    theory    of    handling    an 

obtuse  scholar? 
Define  the  value  for  all  teachers,  of  Christ's  main 

convictions  here. 
What  is  the  inmost  secret  here  of  Christ's  skill? 


lyS  Teacher-  Training 


II.  IN  GENERAL. 

Name  four  weighty,   common   difficulties  Christ  had  to 

meet. 
Illustrate  the  bad  effects  of  pride  upon  a  scholar. 
Show  in  different  scenes  how  Jesus  handled  pride. 
What  sort  of  people  did  Jesus  find  most  teachable? 
Give  illustrations  of  each  sort. 

Show  where  Christ  refused  to  follow  a  pupil's  lead. 
Show  cases  where  Christ  volunteered  his  own  theme. 
Did  Christ  teach  rrhDstly  multitudes  or  individuals? 
Give  proofs  of  courage  in  Christ's  teaching. 
Give  illustrations  of  patience  in  Christ's  work. 
Name  the  most  striking  cases  of  Christ's  readiness. 
Name  the  main  signs  of  Christ's  profundity. 
Cite  four  cases  where  Christ  links  together  an  argument. 
Define  a  parable. 
What  is  its  teaching  value? 
In  what  cases  is  a  parable  most  wisely  used? 
Give  the  signs  of  Christ's  respect  for  a  pupil. 
Illustrate  Christ's  jealQus  devotion  to  truth. 
Where  did  Christ  ever  stand  upon  his  dignity? 
Name  cases  where  Christ's  teaching  gained  success. 
Name  cases  where  Christ's  teaching  was  refused. 
Show  what  sacrifices  Christ's  teaching  cost  him. 
Show   what   rewards   Christ's   teaching  won   before   the 

cross. 
Work  up  a  new  lesson  all  by  yourself. 

All  the  above  questions  are  only  samples.  They  may 
be  modified  and  continued,  according  to  any  one's  wish, 
indefinitely. 


Date  Due 

5SSSE 

m 

1^ 

m 

PRINTED 

IN  U.  S.  A. 

